Things Are Not Always As They Seem
by EmeraldGuardian7
Summary: [On Hiatus] Harry has found himself drawn to Ginny Weasley all year. He's wanted nothing more than to ask her out but now her father has been killed by Voldemort's snake and it doesn't seem to be the right time. Even worse the interfering marriage contract that Professor Dumbledore seems to support. Can he trust the headmaster & what is his secret located in Nurmengard Prison?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Here's a new story idea that I came up with. I've always like marriage contract stories but could never find one unless it was and evil!Dumbledore who wrote it up and Harry had to break it. I've also never seen ones that involve life-debts unless it's some kind of harem story. Therefore I decided to write my own. If it's not obvious enough this is a Harry/Ginny story. Sorry to those who are following my other stories. I started University back in September and didn't have any time to update. I have written part of the next chapter of Harry Potter and the Fellow Champion though. Now that it's Christmas break I set aside some time to write but I got stuck trying to go back to my old stories. This idea had been circling in my head for a while so I decided to give it a try. I'm back for my second term next week so I have no idea when I'll have time to update… hopefully more this term because I'll be done Calculus. Anyway I hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think in the reviews._

The floor creaked ominously as Harry strode down the dark hallway. Dust was kicked into the air with every step he took which only added to the constant gloom present in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. According to the clock in the study he had just vacated, it was late morning. He didn't trust anything in this house after nearly being speared to death by another clock during the summer but his rumbling stomach seemed to support the fact that it was indeed approaching the noon hour. Harry had been reading books all morning, choosing to avoid the breakfast table at all costs, unable to bare the sorrow-filled gazes of the Weasley family, also in residence over the Christmas holidays.

The quality of food that had suffered greatly ever since Mrs. Weasley had locked herself in her room. Sirius tried as best he could but after going from wealthy pureblooded child, to well fed Hogwarts student, to uncaring bachelor, to twelve year resident of Azkaban Prison; he had surprisingly not picked up many culinary skills. Harry had gone longer than a single morning without food at the Dursley's but that didn't mean he wanted to skip that many meals and he realized he would draw more attention to himself and he definitely didn't want them worrying about him right now. Molly Weasley crying had quieted down after the first day but she still hadn't left her room and had only opened the door to speak to Professor Dumbledore yesterday. After that everyone had noticed owls swooping in out of her window constantly. He found a little strange but assumed she had a lot of arrangements left to make.

It was with these thoughts in mind that Harry turned the corner, nocking straight into someone heading the opposite direction. "Oops. Sorry. Wasn't paying attention," he said while reaching out and grabbing the arm of the person in front of him to stop them from falling. Harry finally raised his head to see who had bumped into and his breath caught in his throat. Even with her eyes red and puffy from crying, he thought Ginny Weasley was beautiful. He had recently found himself enamored by the idea of running his hands through her rich red hair that was currently framing her face at the sides and stretched much farther at the back.

"It's fine Harry. Don't worry about it." She said with a small sad smile. The smile didn't reach her eyes but it was still the best expression he'd seen in several days. Harry was pretty sure that this week was the first time he had ever seen Ginny cry. She was always so strong. He was sure that she hadn't even cried at the age of eleven after everything that happened in the chamber. So when he had seen her break down earlier in the week, it had felt as if his heart had been clenched by an iron fist. All he wanted to do was comfort her but he had no idea how. Even though everyone told him that it wasn't his fault, Harry still felt guilty over the death of Arthur Weasley. Even after Sirius had forced him to accept that he had done all he could, letting the headmaster know as soon as he could, he still felt bad. Seeing and feeling the attack through the snake's eyes was a large factor in this sentiment.

Realizing that he still had his hand on Ginny's arm, he quickly let go while feeling his face heat up. Harry had found himself drawn more and more towards her this year. It wasn't just that she rapidly maturing physically, which was obvious for all to see, but her fiery personality that was catching his attention. He realized quickly it probably came with growing up with six older brothers and with the power levels she was displaying at the DA meetings, she was not someone you wanted to cross. All in all, Harry would have liked to have asked her out but he knew this was not the time and he was pretty sure she was already dating Michael Corner from Ravenclaw. He still wasn't sure what to do about Cho though. He crush had slowly disappeared over the year as he'd become more interested in Ginny. Being honest with himself, Harry was pretty sure it wouldn't have worked out between them anyway after everything that happened with Cedric during the third task. An idea which was only reinforced when she had kissed him under the mistletoe, at the last DA meeting, before he'd had a chance to react and then left the room in tears. Even though his crush was gone, he still didn't want to give her the wrong idea, especially knowing that she was still having difficulties dealing with Cedric's death. He knew he would have to deal with the situation soon.

"GINNY! WHERE ARE YOU? COME DOWN TO THE KITCHEN! WE NEED TO TALK!" Mrs. Weasley's voiced echoed loudly through the quiet house, startling both teens who had just become aware that they had been staring at each other in silence for several moments.

"It seems she's finally left her room," he commented. Simultaneously relieved and a little nervous now that he would have to face the grieving Weasley matriarch. He knew that his feelings of guilt would imminently begin to flare to an all-time high.

"We should probably go see what she wants," she responded, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the stairs after her. It took several moments for Harry's brain to catch up with what was going on around him. He was still stuck on the fact that Ginny had taken his hand. It was so soft and they seemed to fit together so well. He couldn't help but worry that his face might currently resemble that of Ron's when Fleur was around. He quickly snapped out of it though when they entered the kitchen and all eyes turned to them. Mrs. Weasley frowned as her eyes immediately zeroed in on their clasped hands. This caused Harry to take an unconscious step backward and let go of Ginny's hand. She shot him an annoyed look over her shoulder, forcibly retook his hand and dragged him over to the table all the while returning her mother's look in kind.

"Now Ginny dear. I have some news that's important for the whole family. With your father gone…" she started to choke up a bit.

"It's ok mom… I understand go ahead," she said taking her mom's hand with free one.

Mrs. Weasley composed herself and began to talk, "Now that your father is… gone… things will be a bit more difficult. I've had to make some difficult choices. Choices of what's best for the family. I know this won't all be what you wanted but it's really for the best."

Harry had a feeling of dread starting to grow in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right here. Ginny must have picked up on the same thing because she quickly interjected with a small smile and wink, "Quit being so dramatic mom! You're scaring us." If at all possible Harry thought his feelings for Ginny just grew even more. Even with everything going on in her life, Ginny still tried to lighten the mood in the room.

Molly swallowed nervously before continuing on, "Well like I said with your father gone we won't have all the same options we had before I had to make a decision," she paused momentarily as if steeling herself, "and that's why I have signed a betrothal contract on your behalf."

Silence reigned throughout the room. You could hear a pin drop. Harry as if he was slowly suffocating. He couldn't seem to get enough air. This couldn't be happening? He was never going to find happiness in his life was he? Yet all those thoughts flew out of his head when he noticed Ginny's pale face. He may never be able to act on the feelings he had been cultivating for the youngest Weasley all year but she was the one stuck in this situation. How could her mother do this?

"What?" She finally asked, the room still deathly silent. The tension in the air was so thick that you could have cut it with a knife.

"I said I signed a betrothal contract for you."

"Who? When… why?"

"Like I said it is for your own good and will benefit the family as a whole…" she trailed off at the glare her daughter was leveling her with. "You will be married tomorrow at Gringotts." Gasps sounded around the room. "To Draco Malfoy."

The room was silent again for about two second while everyone digested what they had just heard and then pandemonium broke loose. Everyone started shouting at once. Chairs were being thrown back as people lurched suddenly to their feet. Harry just sat there in silence, stunned. The thought of Malfoy laying his hands on Ginny was making him feel sick.

"WHAT! HOW DARE YOU?" Ginny screeched bringing Harry back to the present. He had no idea that she could make such a sound. "YOU'RE JUST SELLING ME OFF LIKE CATTLE TO DAD'S MURDURERS! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!"

 _SMACK!_ The sound resounded through the room, leaving its occupants once again in stunned silence. "GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME LIKE THAT! I HAVE EVERY RIGHT. I AM NOW THE HEAD OF THIS FAMILY UNTIL BILL RETURNS FROM EGYPT! AND DON'T YOU DARE DRAG YOUR FATHERS SITUATION INTO THIS! YOU ARE TOO YOUNG TO UNDERSTAND!" Ginny stood to leave avoiding looking in her mother's eye but Molly was having none of that. She grabbed her arm yanking her off balance and back towards her chair. "I AM NOT DONE YET WITH YOU YOUNG LADY!"

Before Harry knew what he was doing he was on his feet hand clamped on Mrs. Weasley's arm where she was holding Ginny. "Let go of her. Now!" He growled. Harry had never felt so angry in his life, even during the time he accidently blew up his Uncle's sister. He felt power flowing through him. Then it suddenly blew out in a wave shattering glass and plates throughout the whole room and if the sound of distant crashing was any evidence, possibly the whole house. Mrs. Weasley flinched backwards at the noise and released the grip on her daughter. Ginny ran out of the room without looking back and if Harry hadn't had more to say he would have also already been out of the room already. "How could you do this to her! Since when have you ever believed in any of that pureblooded none-sense? You've just signed your daughter's bloody death warrant! Have you happened to forget that it was the Malfoys who gave Ginny that blasted diary in her first year? If I hadn't been as extremely lucky as I was, she would be dead!" As soon as Harry said that, it reminded him of something Dumbledore had once said to him when he'd left the chamber. Hmm, he knew that idea would require some research.

Mrs. Weasley mistook Harry's momentary silence as the end of his tirade and immediately began her own, "This is none of your business! This is as family matter."

"I guess I should return all of my Weasley jumpers then if I am no longer welcome in your home like a family member." He replied sarcastically.

"STOP INTERFERING WITH MY FAMILY! It's bad enough that it's your fault my husband is dead!" She shrieked back. Harry stiffened as if he had been slapped, his face completely blank. Again, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day the room was completely quiet. Molly's eyes went wide as the realization of what she'd said hit home and she began attempting to stutter out an apology but Harry was already moving. He swept out of the room before anyone even had time to blink. Harry heard Sirius calling after him but he didn't respond. He needed a plan and had very little time to come up with one but at least he knew just the place to start.

* * *

Harry headed straight towards the black family library as soon as he had calmed down. He knew that Mrs. Weasley had cleared it of all the books relating to dark arts, even though they probably would have been useful knowledge for the war effort. Luckily for him that was not the kind of book he was looking for. He needed more information on magical contracts to confirm his hunch.

Searching through the dusty tomes he couldn't help the snort that escaped his mouth when he thought about the purging of the library earlier that year. Mrs. Weasley was so paranoid that her kids would read something dangerous about the dark arts yet was perfectly ok with marrying off her only daughter to a family that actively practiced them. He truly couldn't find the logic there. Something was wrong about this whole situation. Mrs. Weasley was acting completely out of character. Was it just grief over her husband's death or something more? Harry knew he'd have to figure it out eventually but he had more pressing concerns.

About halfway through the collection of books, he finally happened upon a title he was looking for. Magical Oaths, Vows and Contracts: A Complete Guide. He flipped through the pages till he found a promising looking section.

 _Magical Contracts:_

 _Magical Contracts are one of the youngest forms of binding magical agreements in this book. Oaths were the original standard form of binding yet over time the wording began being recorded for future reference. Today's contracts only came into place within the last couple centuries for use in marriage agreements. They differed from traditional oaths so that instead of the paper only being a copy, the signers' magic is tied directly to the parchment on which the agreement is written. This allowed for more clauses to be added to the agreements and they eventually became standard even outside of marriages. How a contract deals with a party who does not fulfill their obligations is random at best. Consequences can be outlined and agreed upon in the contract but if not specified they can range from loss of magic, illness, to even death. Some contracts even compel those mentioned within to fulfill their obligations. Marriage contracts are a lot less popular than in previous centuries but they are not uncommon by any means, especially in old pureblooded families._

 _The breaking of a marriage contract is a tricky business. In most cases clauses are added to the contract allowing one or both parties to choose to withdraw from the agreement either at will or only under a specific set of circumstances. In those cases it is easy to get out of the contract if the specifications are met but if the contract itself does not include any such clauses it is essentially unbreakable. Laws were soon set in place to punish those who murdered their betrothed after it became a popular practice to remedy these situations in the late 1600s. The only way for someone to get out of a marriage contract that is considered unbreakable is for someone else to have an overriding claim that allows them to declare the signing of the contract illegal and invalid._

Harry reached the end of the section and let out a frustrated huff that it did not go into any more detail. His original idea still seemed possible but he would have to gather some more information. He did gather that it would be pertinent to check the contract for escape clauses though he was inclined to believe that he wouldn't find any. The Malfoy's wouldn't leave anything up to chance.

Harry exited the library planning on dropping off the book in the room he shared with Ron but stopped at the sight of the headmaster heading down the hall towards him. "Professor! I'm so glad you're here. I've been doing some research," Harry said gesturing towards the book he was still holding. "Have you gotten a look at the contract? What are the requirements of the cancellation clause?"

"Slow down my boy," the old wizard replied, eyes twinkling merrily before he became more serious. "I have indeed looked at the contract in question. It is unfortunately unbreakable but I think that some good will come out of this situation yet. I will have to ask you to drop your pursuit of this subject though. It is a family to be dealt with by the Weasleys themselves. Now I think it would be prudent for you to go and apologize to Mrs. Weasley for your earlier outburst. I'm sure she will understand as you were ignorant of these customs."

Harry just stared at Dumbledore utterly gobsmacked. "You're going to do nothing. I can't believe this. At least have the courage to kill her yourself because don't kid yourself, that's exactly what you're doing. You're handing her straight to Voldemort."

"Now now Harry," he said with a frown. "Her safety will be of upmost importance. There are risks involved but the benefit to order through the information she can gather will outweigh that."

"So this is all about getting another spy for the order? I don't know how you ever got Mrs. Weasley to agree to this. You guys wouldn't even let us sit in on order meetings and now her youngest child! Her only daughter is going to be a spy!" Harry scoffed. "You really think that the Malfoys are just going to let her wander around the manor wherever she wants? Sit in on Death Eater meetings and then come mail us afterword? You're going senile old man! Even if they don't torture or kill her outright, you're handing them leverage against me. I'm her… err… friend and Voldemort won't shy away from using that. Sometimes I wonder how your leadership of the order is any different than how Voldemort treats his Death Eaters!"

Harry turned and stormed up the stairs leaving the stunned headmaster behind. He stopped as soon as he was out of sight, leaning against the wall for support and breathing heavily. He heard the fireplace flare downstairs and knew that Dumbledore had most likely just flooed back to Hogwarts. He was trying to get a handle the rage that had been coursing through his veins ever since this morning. After practically ignoring him all year, having the headmaster refuse to help with the situation had been the final straw. He couldn't help but feel amused though about how surprised the headmaster must be that he had not meekly given into his wishes.

* * *

Harry arrived at his room after his breathing had calmed considerably. He knew that the easier option was no longer possible from his conversation with Dumbledore but his original idea still hadn't been disproven. He needed more information. After considering it for a moment he decided to go speak to Sirius. He grew up in one of the most pureblooded families there are. He should have the information that he sought. Harry threw the book down on his bed and turned to leave when he heard a sound.

 _Cough cough_

Turning around his eyes came to rest on a familiar looking portrait. It took him a moment of searching through his memories but he soon knew where he'd seen it before. "Come to spy on me for the headmaster, Phineas?"

The portrait of the former headmaster sniffed at him disdainfully, "He has ordered us to gather information before but as the new Black Heir, I am no longer at liberty to share any of your secrets with Albus. I am here to deliver a warning."

"Black Heir? What are you talking about?"

"I see my great-great-grandson hasn't seen fit to inform you yet. He recently discovered that without a son of his own, the next in line to inherit the Black fortune was one Draco Malfoy. Fortunately for him, you are related to the Black family through your grandmother and that allowed him to name you as his heir. Upon his death you will inherit the title of Lord Black at which point you should already have ascended to your status as Lord Potter."

"L-L-lord Potter?" He stuttered.

"Merlin's Beard! How much has that old codger been keeping from you! The head of the family of any Ancient and Most Noble house is considered a Lord. We need to make sure you get an education of Wizarding Culture! Sirius was trained in all of this as a child, even if he still doesn't act as one of his stature should, you should speak to him about setting up lessons."

"Oh I'll be having a talk with Sirius all right," Harry growled. "So basically Sirius was trying to stop the Malfoys from acquiring another lordship? I guess I can understand why it's necessary."

Phineas Nigellus Black began to guffaw, "Lucius Malfoy is no Lord! Those foreign bastards only came over from France a couple generations ago. The only reason they even had that chance was because one of my knuckleheaded descendants married Narcissa off to that pig."

"But at school Malfoy's always strutting around like he owns the place," he spluttered.

"Lucius has probably filled the head of the little arrogant twerp with all kinds of ideas of grandeur. In reality the Malfoy family should hold less influence in British pureblood politics than the Weasleys and their well known as the biggest blood-traitors around. There's no doubt the Malfoys are rich but years of lining Fudge's pockets have made them a bit too big for their britches." The man in the portrait sighed, "If Albus hadn't kept your heritage from you, you could have put young Draco in his place years ago. Things could have been so much simpler."

Things descended into silence for a moment while Harry tried to digest everything he had learned. "So you said you came here to give me a warning?"

"Ah yes. Like I am bound to keep your secrets from others, I am similarly bound to the office of the headmaster making me unable to go into specifics but I can give you some advice. The Albus Dumbledore that you know is not all that he seems. You should not trust him like you do now. He was more involved in your little lady's current situation than he would have everyone believe."

"M-my-my l-lad… she's not… we're not…err…we're just friends." Phineas raised a painted eyebrow in his direction. "What do you mean about the headmaster?"

"Alas! I can't go into any more details without violating my oaths. Speak to your godfather. Get his help. The answers you seek lie in Nurmengard. I must be off young heir. May fortune favor you on your quest!" The portrait exclaimed and then added in a mumble as he exited the frame, "You're going to need it."

Harry remained in his room for several minutes thinking over everything he had just heard. He didn't want to believe that Dumbledore wouldn't act in his best interest. It was true that he was still angry at him from their earlier conversation but he was still Albus Dumbledore! He was the only one Voldemort was afraid of. If he could trust him than who was there that could protect him? The more he thought of it though, the more discrepancies he found from his placement at the Dursleys to all the dangerous situations he'd faced over his years at Hogwarts. For the second time that day he realized something wasn't right. He needed to talk to Sirius.

* * *

Harry found Sirius in the first place he looked. The bedroom housing Buckbeak. As soon as he entered the room he gave the Hippogriff a deep bow which was returned soon after. Harry then closed the bedroom door. In response to Sirius' raised eyebrow he said, "I need to talk to you about something serious."

"But I am Sirius," he replied with a grin making Harry want to give him a good smack. He lost his smile when he noted Harry's lack of response. "Ok got it. What's up Pup?" The grin was back fighting its way onto his face. "I overheard your conversation with Professor Dumbledore earlier. As much as he's done for the world, I think he sometimes forgets that he's mortal just like all of us. It was nice to see him brought down a peg or two. You know, for a minute earlier, I thought I was back listening to Lily after someone had done something to tick her off. You may look like James but you sure do take after your mother."

Harry started as Sirius was talking. Maybe everything would work out. "That's sort of what I wanted to talk about. I want to know that if something ever happened to put me in conflict with Dumbledore whose side you would be on."

Sirius blanched slightly, "Despite what I said earlier I don't think Albus would ever do anything against your best interest. He tasks the order to spend more time watching you than actually fighting Voldemort. He cares about you."

Harry grimaced slightly at Sirius' lack of answer, "I know. I know but I came into some new information today. I need your help but I can't tell you about it unless I know that you will be there to support me even if it is against his wishes."

"Of course I'll be there for you! I'd kick Albus-Too-Many-Bloody-Names-Dumbledore and the order to the curb before betraying you. Like I said I think he has the best of intentions but I've had a feeling for a while that he could be doing more to get me trial yet has been holding back for some reason. Going against authority is the Marauder way! Just tell me what you need me to do."

Harry rushed forward and gave his godfather a hug. "Thank you Sirius! You don't know what the means to me." Sirius patted him on the head and then they both took a seat on some chairs he conjured up for them. Harry then proceeded to tell him all about his conversation with the portrait of Phineas Nigellus Black. Sirius did look slightly ashamed when Harry reached the point about how he found out he was the Black Heir. When he was finished Sirius looked very pensive and sat back thinking about it all for a few minutes. "The fact that old Phineas actively sought you out means that this is a whole lot more important than it probably seems. I have to agree with you, something is not right here. Nurmengard is the old prison that Grindelwald built during his campaign. He housed all of his most dangerous opponents there. I wonder if anything is still there. I was under the impression it was abandoned when Dumbledore killed him. We'll have to figure out a time to sneak away and go check it out. Maybe in the summer? Or I could go snoop around on my own when you return to Hogwarts? It would be nice to get out of this damned house."

"Umm… Sirius. I think it might be best if we skip town tomorrow after we leave Gringotts," Harry interjected nervously.

"Harry what have you done?" Sirius asked with narrowed eyes.

Harry gulped audibly, "It's not so much what I have done…"

"Harry…" he reprimanded with a warning tone.

"Well first I need some information. I've done some research on marriage contracts but I need to know the different ways an unbreakable contract can be ruled invalid."

"Well the most obvious would be if there is a conflicting marriage contract already in existence but that's not going to help you." Harry waved him on. "Another way that sometimes works depending on circumstances is if there is another type of contract, for example some kind of family alliance that conflicts with the contract. That way is very temperamental though. Either the alliance or the marriage contract could end up overriding the other. It's really fifty-fifty. I'm pretty sure that's it though. There is a reason their called unbreakable." He moved in to comfort his godson when he saw his downtrodden expression but suddenly remembered something else. "I almost forgot about life-debts! If a true life-debt has formed than that person can pretty much call it in and override any kind of contract. The only thing it can't do is interfere after the marriage has already happened. I still don't see how that will help you pup. I'm sorry."

"I told you about my second year right Sirius?"

"Of course you did! How could I forget you slaying a fifty foot Basilisk with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor and saving Ginny's…" Harry gave him a knowing look. "Are you sure a life-debt formed?"

"Well Dumbledore said it did after I'd gotten out of the chamber. It was only the second time I'd ever heard about life-debts. Even if Dumbledore wants this marriage to go through and knows I could stop it, he didn't know that back then. There was no reason for him to lie to me."

"That's great! Why don't you just claim it now though? It would save all the hassle and poor Ginny is probably going nuts right now."

"First of all, I need to speak to Ginny before I make this decision for sure. Second I need to get to Gringotts tomorrow to sort some things out. Dumbledore will never let me go. This is the perfect excuse. Third, I was planning on activating my claim when they ask for objections during the ceremony."

"Why would you wait that long? That's cutting it pretty…" Sirius' eyes widened. "Oh…. OH!"

"Exactly!" Harry replied with a smirk.

"Harry are you sure you're not secretly in Slytherin because that is positively devious!"

"Well the sorting did want to place me there…"

"Don't even joke about that pup! That's not funny!"

"I'm not joking. I'm serious!"

"You're not Sirius, I'm…"

"Shut up Padfoot! Give it a rest already!"

Sirius pouted, "Wait so it actually wanted to put you in the snake pit? I don't know if there has ever been a Potter in Slytherin."

"Like I said I'm serious." Harry gave him a look just daring him to interrupt. "It wanted to put in Slytherin but I'd already met Draco who'd just been sorted there so I argued with that stupid hat till it finally gave in." Sirius just stated howling. I was worried someone was going to come in and see what all the commotion was about. Sirius was rolling around on the floor gasping for breath.

When he finally calmed down he sat up, wiped the tears from his eyes and said, "Only you would argue the 1000 year old sentient magical artifact, charmed by the founders themselves, into submission at the age of 11. Anyway, getting back on topic. You should go talk to Ginny sometime soon. Make sure to get a good night's sleep! I'll talk to one of my contacts at Gringotts to make sure all goes according to plan. They should be able to help you get out of there quickly. I think your right. It will be best for us to get out of the country for a little bit so we can rundown this lead and regroup a bit." They wished each other goodnight and went their separate ways.

* * *

It was around 5:00am when Harry Potter knocked quietly on the bedroom door of one Ginny Weasley. He waited a moment but didn't hear anything so he slowly opened the door peeking in. Ginny was sitting on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees that were pulled up to her chest. Her eyes flicked towards the door once but returned to staring at the wall without acknowledging his presence. He slipped into the room, shutting the door behind him and made his way over to the bed, sitting next to Ginny. He couldn't help but notice the long pale expanse of her smooth legs visible in her nightwear. If she detected where his gaze lingered she didn't show it. Shaking himself he began, "How are you doing?" Ginny snorted in response causing Harry to cringe as he realized how stupid his question was. He wasn't really sure where to go from here so he just started talking, "I just wanted you to… no. I needed you to know that I will always be here for you. No matter what you need."

This finally seem get her attention as she turned towards him, tears again beginning to pool in her eyes. "It's not fair. I still can't believe all of this is happening. If this is my last chance to tell you, I need you to know that I never gave up on you. I did have a crush on the-boy-who-lived when we first met. As I'm sure you remember. I couldn't even be in the same room as you without forgetting how to speak and blushing like crazy but I took Hermione's advice. I tried to move on. I even tried dating Michael Corner and the crush did go away but then I really got to know Harry, my fellow Hogwarts student, not the fairy tale. And he is the most caring, selfless and brave individual you will ever meet and I fell in love with him." Ginny's eyes were shining as she looked up at him. Deep chocolatey brown pools that Harry knew he could lose himself in if given the chance. Without thinking Harry began to lean forwards and Ginny shifted her face up towards him as well. Their lips met in the center and Harry was in heaven. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered if he was cursed to kiss girls only when they were crying but unlike Cho he didn't mind. This was so much better. Ginny's lips were soft and gentle as they moved against his, yet seemed to convey perfectly the desperation she was feeling about her current situation. To Harry it was pure bliss. He felt complete. He knew then and there that he wanted to hold Ginny in his arms and kiss her for the rest of his life. They both pulled back a few moments later, breathing slightly heavier than before. She spoke softly again, "See. It's not fair. We'll never get to know what this could have been. I know it would have been great." She looked up into his eyes again and struggled for a smile.

In response he just pulled her closer into a hug where she burrow her face back into his shoulder. He turned and murmured into her ear, "I have a plan. For today… I have a plan."

Her head whipped up so fast it almost would have been comical if the situation wasn't so serious. "What do you mean? I know you don't know a lot about these things but I looked at the contract. It's unbreakable."

He looked her right in the eye, "Do you trust me?"

Without wavering or breaking eye contact she replied, "With my life."

"Then I have a plan." She just nodded in response. "I may have to say some stuff that's weird today and suck up to your mom a little this morning but it is all part of the plan. Like I said, I'll always be there for you." He paused for a moment before getting up, "I should get going."

He was halfway across the room before he heard her speak, "I also wanted to thank you for standing up for me to my mom yesterday. You didn't have to do that but… just thank you." Harry inclined his head and opened the door.

As Harry stepped out into the hall, he came face to face with Ron. "What were you doing in there?"

"We were talking," he answered while indicating the wet spots on his shirt from Ginny's tears with his finger.

"Oh… err… right." Ron's face flushed pink with embarrassment. "Thanks for… err… you know. Talking to her mate. It probably means a lot to her. Oh and I'm sorry about what mom said yesterday in the kitchen. She feels really bad. We know it wasn't your fault. Mom was really out of line with that and this whole bloody contract. I can't believe this. Draco Bloody Malfoy. He better not hurt her or I'll… I'll…"

Harry gritted his teeth at the reminder of Mrs. Weasley's comments yesterday but nodded his acceptance at Ron's apology. "Let's go down and get some breakfast." Ron complied immediately with the thought of food in the picture.

Harry entered the kitchen following Ron and heard the telltale decrease in volume and noticed that people where glance nervously between himself and the Weasley Matriarch. He wondered if he'd ever get used to all conversations coming to a halt when he entered a room. It had been happening pretty often for over four years now and it still set his teeth on edge. Mentally preparing himself, he strode purposefully over to the women he had until recently thought of as the closest thing he had to a mother. The sharp intakes of breath from around the room made him want to roll his eyes but luckily he was strong enough to resist. "Mrs. Weasley, I wanted to apologize for speaking out of turn yesterday. I am still not used to many wizarding customs from growing up with the Durlseys and the news was just a big shock. Please forgive me and if it is ok with you I would like to accompany your family to Gringotts so that I can support my friend in this major step in her life."

"Oh Harry dear, I understand and forgive you," she said pulling him into a suffocating hug. "I hope you can forgive me as well. What I said was very wrong. I have always considered you a part of the family. None of us blame you for Arthur's death. Emotions are just running high and sometimes you say things you don't mean. Thank you for being so mature about this."

Harry escaped from the hug and hurried over to the table and sat down. He noticed Ron shooting him a look that clearly meant that he didn't think what Harry had said to his mother the day before was out of line. Avoiding his gaze he looked over at Sirius who gave him a barely perceivable inclination of his head. The plan was in place.

* * *

The Weasleys plus Harry, Tonks and Moody arrived in the lobby of Gringotts with minutes to spare. Unsurprisingly Dumbledore was there waiting for them, Harry and Sirius had assumed he would be. He completely ignored his presence but Harry noted that he adopted a slight smirk when he saw him standing near Mrs. Weasley. He knew that the Headmaster had probably assumed that he had taken yesterday's advice to heart.

Walking towards the chamber a Goblin heading the other way roughly nocked into him sending him staggering back, while discretely passing him a sack of Galleons from Sirius' vault and a small non-descript box that his godfather had also requested of his contact the night before. He quickly stowed them under his robes before anyone noticed. "Watch where you are going human!" The goblin barked before scurrying away.

"Merlin Harry! You've got to be careful. My brother Bill works with the goblins a lot and says that they can be nasty little buggers if you cross them!" Ron chastised him loudly causing several goblins within earshot to scowl. Some days Harry just wanted to bang his head against the wall after hearing what came out of his best friend's mouth.

They filed into the chamber that had been prepared and Harry was surprised to note that it resembled closely to a muggle court room. Malfoy was sitting with both his parents at a table on the front left side of the room already. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny began towards a mirroring table on the right side, while the rest of the group filed into the benches behind. He noticed Malfoy smirking in their direction but he didn't have any difficulty avoiding a reaction because he knew that he would be having the last laugh today. Ron was tense beside him, his anger coming off in slowly building waves. Not getting as much of a reaction as he hoped, Malfoy turned his gaze to Ginny, a hungry look in his eye that sent shivers down his spine. He silently vowed again in his head that he would never let that scum get his hands on her.

The doors opened again after a few minutes of sitting in silence and an ancient looking goblin entered wearing a set of regal robes. The other goblins stood to attention as he crossed the floor and stepped up to a large desk much like where a judge would sit if this had been a courtroom. As he took his seat everyone relaxed slightly. He looked over some papers on his desk before speaking in a grating tone, "We are here today to fulfill the marriage contract between the house of Malfoy and Ancient House of Weasley. This is a very straight forward matter as the contract has already been signed. Can I have both parties to please approach." Draco, Lucius and Mrs. Weasley all stood immediately. The first two heading straight in front of the grand desk, while it took the other a moment longer to guide her daughter up to the front, a firm hand on her shoulder. A wide eyed Ginny sent Harry a panicked look and he tried for a reassuring smile. He knew it was only a moment away. "As required by law, I must ask if there are any other parties who have an objection before we continue the ceremony."

It was time. Harry stood quickly, slipping a ring from inside the box he had been given earlier onto his finger. There was a small flash of light and he felt power rushing through him. He spoke, "I do." His voice echoed through the chamber. Suddenly everyone was talking at once. He saw a panicked Dumbledore shouting at him to sit down, a clearly confused bunch of Weasley and Malfoy sneering some kind of obscenities at him that he ignored by keeping his eyes planted on the goblin up front.

A loud bang reverberated through the room. "SILENCE!" The goblin shouted causing everyone to quiet down immediately. "Headmaster Dumbledore you are a witness to these proceedings. Nothing more. If you continue to interrupt we will have you thrown from the chamber." It was only then that Harry noticed that Dumbledore had his wand out while on the receiving end of several goblin spears. He sighed glancing at Harry as if trying to communicate with him and took his seat. "Now Lord Potter what is the nature of your objection?"

Harry was very glad that Sirius had coached him the night before on what to say. "I hereby claim this contract is invalid through right of superior claim. In June of 1993 the Ancient House of Weasley incurred a life-debt to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter when I, Harry James Potter, knowingly risked my life to save Ginevra Molly Weasley from certain death. To pay off this debt I claim the right to take Ginevra Molly Weasley as my bride. So mote it be." There was a large clap, almost like thunder, and suddenly both Draco and Lucius fell to the ground unconscious, expressions of pain on their faces. Harry strode up the aisle and took Draco's place in front of the goblin. Ginny and her family watched him in shock. Harry reopened the small box he was carrying which now contained male and female wedding bands.

"This is not a standard marriage so there are no vows required. To complete the ceremony just place the rings on each other's hands." The goblin instructed.

Harry knew that they had to get out of here soon. The others shock wouldn't last much longer. He gently took Ginny's hand and slipped the one ring onto her finger which she continued to stare down at with wide eyes. "Ginny," he prompted her softly. That seemed to snap her out of it as she glanced around taking stock of the situation. They heard a strangled shout from behind them while she quickly grabbed the other ring and placed it on his finger resulting in another bright flash of light.

"I now present to you the new Lord and Lady Potter!" The goblin cried with a toothy grin aimed in Dumbledore's direction that only seemed to make the creature look more menacing. Suddenly the headmaster was on his feet again, wand drawn causing the guards to scramble towards him. Harry had been expecting this and quickly took Ginny's hand. Placing his other finger over his new wedding ring he said, "Padfoot." There was that telltale feeling of being hooked about your naval and the newly married couple were whisked away.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry sat down with a sigh on the couch beside Ginny. He knew it was time to give some explanations especially now that Sirius had slipped out of the tent to give them some privacy. He was actually surprised about how patient his new wife… Merlin! That's going to take a while to get used to. Anyway, how patient his new wife was being through the whole ordeal. Or it could be that she was just still in shock.

The portkey that Harry had activated in Gringotts had sent them straight back to Number 12 Grimmauld Place where Sirius was waiting. He had ordered Ginny to go pack a bag the moment they landed, which she complied with after a quick nod of confirmation from Harry. In the five minutes it took her to grab her stuff, Sirius shrunk down the other bags they had packed the night before and began scanning Harry for tracking charms. He found some attached to his spectacles, both trainers and even his wand. When they had been successfully removed, Ginny reappeared, out of breath and struggling to drag her school trunk along. One featherweight charm and an additional shrinking charm later they were ready to go.

Harry pulled out the second portkey he had received from the Goblin earlier and, once everyone had hold, spoke the activation phrase. They began to spin away into nothingness just in time to see the front door blasted down as the Headmaster limped in, a bloody gash, courtesy of the goblins he'd obvious had to fight his way passed, on his forehead. One thing was for certain… he did not look happy.

The second portkey had taken them to the middle of a forest that Harry already knew was somewhere in the middle of Germany, close to Nurmengard prison. Sirius wasted no time in setting up some temporary protective enchantments and erecting a tent similar to one used by the Weasley's at the World Cup two summers earlier.

Finishing his inspection of the inside of the tent is what led to Harry's current predicament. There was nothing more to distract him. He knew that this had been the only legal option to free Ginny from the contract but that's where lay the problem. He hadn't really freed her. Now she was just trapped with him instead of Malfoy. He liked to believe that he was the better option but it still took away her choice. She'd already pretty much admitted that she liked… no loved him back in her room but marriage was such a big step!

"Ginny…" he said tentatively. Her gazed snapped up to meet his, an unreadable expression on her face. He knew she must hate him for doing this. "I'm… I'm sorry Ginny. This was the only way I could find to break the contract. I know you must hate me for trapping you with me instead of finding a way out completely. Just so you know… I… I really do like you. I would have probably asked you out earlier this year but then I found out you were already dating Michael Corner and I was trying to avoid Cho, then there's everything that happened over the winter break…" Harry winced when he even alluded to the subject of her father's death. He knew it was still a sensitive topic for her and would continue to be for all who knew him for some time. "I'll do what I can to make this situation work. I understand if you can't forgive me. I'm sorry."

"Stop being such a prat Harry!" Harry looked up at her startled. "You just saved me from a fate worse than death! I spent my whole my whole childhood dreaming about being Mrs. Potter, like almost every other girl in the wizarding world. Even though I may have given up on those fantasies, I told you this morning that I had already started to fall for you. The real you that I've gotten to know over the past several years. I would have loved to actually gone on a few dates before getting married," she shot him a cheeky grin, "but I'm not upset about how things have turned out. I know we'll be fine because from now on we'll face things together!" She gave him a brilliant smile the seemed to light up the whole room as she finished her impromptu speech and Harry could help but return it.

Harry took her hand, "Well said but I'm afraid I can't call you Mrs. Potter." After the quick flash of hurt and confusion that passed through her eyes, he returned her earlier playful grin and pressed on, "You must be addressed by your proper title… Lady Potter."

She gave him a small shove while she laughed at his antics. He retaliated immediately, his fingers seeking out her ribs and to his immense satisfaction confirmed how ticklish she is there. She fell sideways on the couch shrieking with laughter but Harry didn't let up his assault and followed her till he was hovering above her. It was only then that he realized how close their faces were. Her large brown eyes sparkling with mirth, staring into his. He momentarily glanced down at her full red lips, silently asking for permission. Her only response was wetting them slightly in anticipation of what was to come. That was all the clue he needed and Harry continued leaning down towards her until their lips were pressed together for the second time that day and first time ever as husband and wife. Just like last time it was pure bliss. He knew he would never tire of kissing Ginny Potter.

* * *

"From what I gathered during our conversation this morning you already knew how you were going to void the contract so is there a reason you waited until the last possible second?" Ginny asked with a pointed look as she sat around the dinner table with Harry and Sirius. "When I started walking up to the front and you still hadn't done anything I was started to plan all of the slow tortures I could think of for getting my hopes up for no reason."

Harry gulped audibly and began to reply before he was cut off by his godfather, "Well Harry needed to claim his Lordship first which he conveniently knew nothing about before yesterday."

"And he couldn't have gone and done that yesterday letting us skip the whole Gringotts fiasco today? I know my mother would have been mad but there's nothing she could have done right?"

This time Harry answered, "First of all the Headmaster was completely for your marriage to Malfoy and if we had tried to go yesterday he would have known we were up to something. There also other factors to the contract I wanted to take advantage of. If I had claimed my Lordship yesterday and succeeded in calling my life debt it would leave your mother unable to keep up her end of the contract leaving her to deal with the repercussions as it was unbreakable. All the life debt did was exempt you from the contract because I had a superior claim and no matter how angry I am at your mum, I didn't want her to lose her magic or her life. By allowing the ceremony to proceed to the point where they ask for any objections it protected your family. Your mother had held up her end by presenting you to be married so by removing you from the situation it left the Malfoys as the ones unable to fulfill their end of having Draco marry you. It was their own Pureblood traditions that made this possible. The traditional language for the bride's side of the family is that _the bride's family must present their daughter to be married by the son of the other party_. Now Draco and Lucius who signed the contract are either dead, removing two more Death Eaters from Voldemort's army, or they are squibs which may the worse fate in the circles they run in."

Ginny sat there quietly for a moment digesting this information before breaking out in a loud laugh. "That's brilliant. They tried to force me into this marriage to satisfy Draco's ego as well as bring both you and my family under their control. They not only failed but lost that which they value most!"

"I know! It was the greatest prank ever on both the ministry, the order and the Death Eaters. James would have been so proud," Sirius interjected causing them all to grin.

"Sirius, do you know where we are going tomorrow. I think we need to check out Nurmengard as soon as possible. Somethings not right with Dumbledore and Phineas wouldn't have given us that clue for no reason. Hopefully we will be able to figure out what he wanted us to know," asked Harry.

"Wait what's Nurmengard? That name sounds familiar but I can't place it? I know Dumbledore supporting the contract was strange but is there more isn't there? Is that why we didn't stay at Grimmauld Place? I just assumed we were avoiding my mother until she calmed down."

"Sirius said that Nurmengard was the abandoned prison that Grindelwald built during his war. One of the portraits from the Headmaster's office who used to be a Black told us that there was something we needed to see there," answered Ginny's questions, going on to explain all the weird things they had noticed about Dumbledore's actions relating to Harry.

They continued their discussion for the next hour until Sirius realized the time, "We better head to bed. We'll need to get up early before we leave tomorrow. Harry… Ginny… I placed your bags and trunks in your room on the right. I'll take the one of the left and…."

"What!?" The two teenagers chorused.

"O… Ou… Our room?" Harry stuttered.

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Of course it's your room… you're MARRIED now." He placed extra emphasis on the word married. "By taking up your Lordship and having Gringotts marry you, you have closed down a lot of avenues that the old man can use to control you but there is still an off chance he can get somehow petition the Wizengamot to get it annulled. So you'll need to consummate the marriage tonight. After that there is nothing he will be able to do."

Sirius smirked at the both of them as he said this, as if taking pleasure from their discomfort as he wordlessly handed Ginny a pale pink potion. Harry, try as he might, couldn't keep his imagination out of the gutter and Ginny blushed a shade of red that he hadn't seen since the infamous day she put her elbow in the butter dish.

* * *

The next morning Harry awoke feeling warm and content. He noticed almost immediately the lack of Ron's loud snores. Opening his eyes he blinked confusedly at the mass of red on the pillow beside him and it wasn't until he inhaled deeply, smelling that sweet flowery scent, that it all came back to him. Ginny. His Ginny. He liked the sound of that.

A slight stirring from beside him broke Harry from his reverie. Ginny burrowed deeper into his chest letting out a contented sigh as he wrapped his arms around her. Harry knew he could get used to this.

His dozing was interrupted once again. This time by the form of a large black dog jumping on the bed then proceeding to lick their faces thoroughly. His awoken wife shrieked beside him pulling the covers higher, reminding Harry of their lack of clothing from the night before. Shoving his dogfather off the bed, he grabbed his wand, stinging hex on his lips before remembering that he was still under the trace. Sirius had said they could get it removed illegally but it would take some time to find someone willing to do it.

"Morning Gin. Sorry about that. When we get the trace removed we may have to start warding our room," he said before giving her a quick kiss.

"It's okay," she mumbled, slowly crawling off the bed and heading for his trunk causing Harry to stop and watch her as she moved. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was especially her fiery hair all mussed from sleep. Shaking his head, he hopped off the bed and started to get dressed as well.

By the time they had gotten ready and made it out of their room, breakfast was already on the table. "Hey Kiddos. Eat up quick. We got lots to do today and who knows what we'll have to do to get into Nurmengard. I think we should leave our tent here for today so we don't have to set up again tonight. Depending on any protections we have to get through we may be exhausted when we get back. The protective enchantments I cast, unless cancelled, should last a week without being renewed."

"You think there will be a lot of protections in place? I thought it was abandoned." Harry asked.

"First of all old Phineas said something was hidden there that we need to see so if it's something Dumbledore is trying to hide I doubt he would leave it unprotected. Second, I doubt whoever cleared out the prisoners after the war took the time to get rid of Grindelwald's traps and enchantments especially if it was being abandoned. You should know by now how lazy people from the magical world can be."

"That's makes sense but how are we going to get in? Isn't Grindelwald supposed to be like the most powerful Dark Lord before Voldemort? Will we be able to get passed whatever's there? Especially if Dumbledore added his own enchantments as well?"

"You mean like the enchantments that guarded the Philosophers Stone that you bypassed in first year? Or how he practically admitted to you last year that a student could have entered the tournament if an older student agreed to put their name in for them? After your name came out, you said the first thing asked you was if you had an older student place your name in the Goblet of Fire. No hesitation. There's no way he didn't know someone could get around it," Ginny said jumping into the conversation.

"I agree but I'm still not convinced that those weren't all some kind of elaborate test," he responded causing Ginny to pause. "I don't think we could have broken through any of those if he really didn't want us to."

"Ahhh… you worry too much pup! We'll be fine. The Marauders know more about Dumbledore's wards on Hogwarts than anyone else after creating the map. I can recognize Dumbledore's work. Don't you worry," Sirius exclaimed jumping up from the table. "Come on. We should head out."

"Still doesn't mean we can deal with stuff from a dead Dark Lord," Harry mumbled as he stood but Sirius just waved away his concerns.

"Ok. I'm going to side-along apparate you both with me so grab on tight," he said as they each took one of his arms before he added as an afterthought, "this might feel a little uncomfortable the first time."

Before Harry could even ask what his godfather meant, he twisted and suddenly Harry felt as if he were being squeezed down a narrow tube. The breath rushed out of his lungs and he realized he could breath. He felt like he was being compressed and stretch in every direction at the same time. Just when he thought he couldn't stand the pressure anymore, they arrived with a loud pop, and Harry dropped to his hands and knees, heaving. Losing much of the breakfast he'd just enjoyed minutes before and wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he looked up into the concerned face of his wife and the bemused face of the old marauder.

"Thanks for the warning Padfoot," he muttered and then looked over the two again. "Am I the only one who can't deal with magical travel?"

"Most people vomit on their first time so I'd say you were pretty normal." He replied.

"Well you did fine," Harry said sounding annoyed while he gestured at Ginny.

"I threw up my first time too but have got used to it over the years. We usually use the Floo but there's times where my Mum or my… my Dad." She gulped. "would take us side-along." Harry gave her a quick squeeze for support when he had gotten up off the ground.

When the moment ended Harry finally took a moment to look at his surroundings. They were standing on a huge rock outcropping on which there was situated a large stone tower slightly resembling the pictures he'd seen of the dark walls of Azkaban. Sirius shivered beside him furthering that sentiment.

"It's said Grindelwald wanted to make the strongest prison possible to contain his enemies. He wanted to even surpass the great Azkaban." Another shiver from Sirius. "He didn't trust Dementors though. They say he had other ways of making his enemies suffer. He only copied one thing from Azkaban… one thing. Making this the second prison in the world built completely out of Obsidian." Harry had head that name before but didn't know anything about it. He felt he was missing some point Sirius was trying to make, especially after the wide-eyed look Ginny had adopted. Yet before he could ask Sirius continued on, "Well we better start. Wands out. Both of you. You both of you still have the trace so only use magic as a last resort. The second a spell leaves your wand we'll have both the ministry and Dumbledore all over us but it's better to have it out and increase reaction time if needed. I'd rather be running from them then laying here dead."

Following Sirius they entered through a big archway and into the dark corridor beyond. Harry silently cursed himself for almost lighting his wand on instinct. Somewhere on their trek through the hallway Ginny had grabbed his arm tightly obviously feeling uneasy in this environment. He was happy she had come to him automatically for reassurement but in this case he was feeling just as bad. The pale light from Sirius' single wand just added to the sense of gloom making it feel like the walls were slowly closing in around them. Apart from that he could feel a buzzing around them. As if the whole building was vibrating but he knew it wasn't. He had gotten that sense sometimes randomly while at Hogwarts but he didn't know what it meant. Luckily it was soon partially explained.

"Do you feel that?" Ginny's voice finally broke the oppressive silence almost making him jump. "It's like the walls are alive or something."

"I noticed that too!" Harry exclaimed.

"I know. The whole building is positively humming with power. Hogwarts used to feel sort of like that when I was a student but more powerful. They say it was built on the convergence of several ley lines. Powering the wards and making them stronger than any other. Theoretically they should last forever and be almost impossible to break. Even if you were able to make a temporary hole in the wards, they should repair themselves over time. Somethings happened though. I noticed when I got out of Azkaban they don't feel the same. All that's left are the Headmaster's own wards, which is unheard of. Most Headmasters contribute their own but those are only superficial. Hogwarts real power always came from the Founders original wards. The longest known standing wards in Britain. I even noticed that the moving staircases seem slower and the Hallways used to switch around a lot more. It's as if Hogwarts itself is losing its magic. Right now if something were to happen to Dumbledore, the wards would fail very soon after and are a lot weaker to begin with."

"That is strange but what you were saying at the beginning shouldn't be possible! Obsidian is known for absorbing magic not conducting it! Hence its use here and in Azkaban." Ginny interjected.

"Exactly something isn't right here but there's almost no doubt we over top at least one ley line. As you know my family has… sorry had a large collection of books on the Dark Arts. I remember reading something when I was younger about wizards who had discovered some uses for obsidian in dark rituals. If Grindelwald really was as great a Dark Lord as they claim that might be why."

They reached the end of the corridor, facing a set of stairs. It was then they finally realized that they hadn't run into any traps. "Well we might head on up," Harry suggested nervously.

But they didn't run into any traps on the second floor either. Or the one after that. Or even the one after. There were wards, no hidden trip wires, no spikes that jutted out of the wall, no trap doors or any other kind of protection all the way to the top. Just hallways upon hallways of empty cells. Yet reaching the end of the very last corridor the party of three new something was different immediately. A large torch was lit momentarily blinding them as their eyes became adjusted to their new environment.

Rushing ahead Harry peered into the last cell and was shocked at what he saw. An old man was shackled to wall. Both his clothes and beard were thin and filthy. He looked so frail hunched over in the corner, as if he could keel over any moment. Ginny and Sirius arrived beside him and let out a loud gasp at the sight. The sound seemed to rouse the man who gathered his strength and slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. His startlingly blue piercing eyes. No matter his condition or how different he currently looked, Harry knew this man. He was looking into the face of none other than Albus Dumbledore.

Without thought for the consequences or dangers. No thought about how getting in here had been way too easy. No thought about how confusing this situation had become. Harry reached out grabbing the cell door and pushed it open. As should been expected by him at this point in his life, with his luck, all hell broke loose.

 _ **A/N:**_ _There. Finally done another chapter. Sorry it took so long. University life is busy. I've had assignment after assignment for the last three weeks. Just so you know I don't have a beta but I hope I don't have too many mistakes. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think. For those of your waiting for me to update Harry Potter and the Fellow Champion, I'm sorry! I just don't have any inspiration to write that one right now and this story is calling to me. All the best readers and thank you for all your support!_

 _ **Finished Chapter:** 01/02/2016 **EDIT:** 02/02/2016 (Spelling  & Grammar)_


	3. Chapter 3

_No matter his condition or how different he currently looked, Harry knew this man. He was looking into the face of none other than Albus Dumbledore._

 _Without thought for the consequences or dangers. No thought about how getting in here had been way too easy. No thought about how confusing this situation had become. Harry reached out grabbing the cell door and pushed it open. As should been expected by him at this point in his life, with his luck, all hell broke loose._

* * *

The whole prison seemed to shudder. An alarm started sounding in the distance and all the doors of the empty cells on the floor started slamming open. Out of several of them, large creatures that appeared to be made of stone, slowly lumbered out into the hall.

"Golems!" Ginny gasped, startled, alerting him to this new threat while he heard Sirius just swear behind him.

"Harry! Help me grab Dumbledore. We need to get out of here." Sirius commanded.

They rushed the rest of the way into the cell as Ginny landed a well-placed blasting hex, knocking the closest one down. Dumbledore's eyes focused on the both of them as they approached him yet he still looked a little out of it. Squinting at their faces he suddenly brightened considerably. "S-S-Sirius. Sirius Black!" Then looking towards Harry before quickly flicking his gaze to Ginny. "J-James! And Lily! Such a long time… so many years!" He rambled incoherently.

Harry was really confused at this point and couldn't figure out why Dumbledore thought he was his father. He was about to correct him when his godfather gave him a look clearly saying 'not now!'

"Hurry up guys! I can't keep them back from the door for much longer!" Ginny's voice sounded from the door, spurring him back into motion.

"Come on Albus. We're going to get you out of here," Sirius said hoisting the old man up and making sure that his arms were around his shoulders. Meanwhile Harry had rejoined his wife in the hall, glancing at the ever approaching golems, most of which were missing a limb by now and sporting a spider web of cracks. Combining his own hexes with hers, they soon reduced whatever was left down to rubble.

"Can't continue…. Must remove first," a winded Albus explained, weakly tugging at the collar of his old, discoloured shirt. Sirius moved to help him out but froze when he caught sight of what was just below his shirt. Fastened around his neck was a collar made of the same obsidian as the walls of the prison around them. This collar wasn't unmblemished though, as it was inscribed with strange golden runes that seemed to pulse as if it had its own heartbeat. Harry was suddenly wishing that he'd made better choices when choosing his classes. The old wizard broke the silence by starting to babble once again, "Made a mistake… my mistake. Always my weakness. I should have done it right the first time. Trusted him too easily. My mistake." Then looking Sirius straight in the eye, he stated, "He's coming. He left me here. He'll return for me. He won't let you take me out of here. Now that you know he come for you too."

"Who? Albus! Who will come?" Sirius questioned.

"Gellert," he answered simply, his head sagging slightly as if the simple name had cost him more than it appeared to utter. That name itself sounded familiar to Harry but he couldn't place it. He felt that he was missing out on something. Sirius looked like he had been slapped and was paling fast.

"B-But that's not possible! You killed him!" Sirius stuttered before changing tracks, "Ah we don't have bloody time for this right now." He pulled his wand waving it over the collar in several complex patterns. At the beginning it was precise then he started swish wildly and after several moment became more of a jab as his frustration mounted. "This is useless!"

Feeling frustrated with this whole situation Harry pointed his wand at the necklace, focussing on his desire to get the blasted thing off his neck, and cried, "Relashio!" Yet instead of the normal purple sparks, his wand began to vibrate and heat up slightly finally emitted some red and gold sparks. Glowing red cracks started to grow on the surface of the collar. It didn't stop and the cracks continued to grow and grow until the whole thing exploded in a small burst of flame that luckily didn't seem to harm anyone. This didn't stop Dumbledore and Sirius from staggering backwards though. To his surprise, the old man seemed to regain some of his colour right before their eyes. Leaning a little less on Sirius and eyes shining considerably brighter.

"We need to get out of here," he said. Harry didn't think he had ever agreed with anything more.

Harry and Ginny led the way down the hall keeping their eyes out for any other dangers stored in the now empty cells. Luckily for them it seemed that whoever had put the traps here had felt that stone Golems were enough for this floor. Reaching the staircase, they paused to allow Sirius and Dumbledore time to catch up. It was probably a good idea they did or they might have missed the telltale sound of apparition from the ground below. Peering through the thin slit in the stone that served as a sort of window. Harry's trepidation grew when he saw the recognizable form of the healthy Headmaster he had come to know over the years, leading the order of the Phoenix into the base of the tower. "There's no way we can fight our way through this. Is there any other way out?"

Surprisingly it was Dumbledore, who was starting to lean more on Sirius again after the long walk down the hall, that answered, "The bottom is the only entrance. Unlike Hogwarts where there are anti-apparaition and portkey wards around the property, the ones here are imbued right into the stone. This makes them stronger but also has the disadvantage of allowing your enemies to escape as long as they can step outside these walls."

That news made Harry feel a little better as now he at least knew that they wouldn't have to run across any open space to reach the edge of the wards. Forgetting for a moment what Ginny and Sirius had said about obsidian earlier, Harry let a flurry of blasting hexes at the wall. The wall itself seem to ripple, almost as if it were made of water, absorbing the rapid fire of what could be described as colourful lights for all the good his spells were doing at the moment.

"Harry! The obsidian is just absorbing your magic and strengthening the wards around us! Don't tire yourself out before we have to fight," Ginny said grabbing his wand arm. He relaxed momentarily at her touch but soon began pacing trying to think of any other options. He knew that they'd all seen too much. There was no way that the 'bad' Dumbledore, or whoever he really was, would let them out of here unscathed after what they had discovered. Even if he only obliviated them, they would then be sent back to Britain. He might even obliviate the fact that they were even married from their heads as it was obviously went against his plans. Even without all those problems, after the stunt he'd pulled with the Malfoys back at Gringotts, even if completely legal, Fudge would be coming after him even more for harming his source of bribe money. He wasn't sure how much worse things could get then they already were with Umbridge, but he didn't want to find out. Harry knew one thing was for certain, he had to protect his new wife! He would never let them get separated again. He just didn't know what to do.

It was at this point that he began to hear footsteps coming from floors below him and voices from the advancing order. Harry felt trapped. He didn't want to fight them. He liked many of the members, like Tonks and Remus, and he didn't think they could win this fight anyway. Turning back towards the wall with a snarl, he raised his wand once again, feeling the fear and rage rising up in him again. His wand began to vibrate and heat up in his hand like before but this time it didn't stop. It got hotter and hotter until with a final push of his magic, a torrent of golden flames burst forth. Instead of the expected roar, a sound he had only heard a handful of times burst forth filling him with confidence. Phoenix Song. Even more surprising was that as the flames reached the wall, it began to burn as if made of paper.

Harry quickly loosened his grip on his wand and pulled it up breaking the connection of the spell but by that time the hole was already easily large enough to fit several people side by side. He turned around to see his companions staring at him in awe. Dumbledore was mumbling something about Pure Phoenix Flame but Harry wasn't paying attention as the sound of running footsteps was getting louder.

"It's time to go," he said motioning towards the whole. "As soon as we cross passed the wall, we'll be outside the wards."

Harry wrapped his one arm around Ginny's waist and grabbed firmly a hold of Sirius's arm with the other. They all approached the new whole together and on the count of three stepped out into the open air. Just before they twisted midair and disappeared, Harry once again saw the panting form of Dumbledore arrive and let out a scream of pure frustration. They really had to stop meeting like that.

* * *

"How did they find us? Was it the trace on our wands?" Ginny asked Sirius, as they once again sat around the dinner table in their tent. They had been back for several hours but were only, just now, having a chance to relax after their hectic day. Dumbledore had promptly fainted when they had landed and was currently still asleep in one of the bedrooms.

"No, I don't think it was the trace. I should have realized this earlier but we don't have to worry about that. The trace would have been removed when Harry took up his Lordship or for you when you got married."

"You mean I can do magic now?" Harry asked sounding excited but winced when he heard his wife's tone.

"All day yesterday we set up camp and even cleaned up after dinner without magic because you forgot that the trace had been removed already?" Ginny was glaring at Sirius. "We went into the prison today leery of using magic unless it was life or death! It would have been helpful to know."

"Well yes… but that doesn't matter now," Sirius interjected looking sheepish. Trying to change the subject he hurried on, "I believe the reason that we were found was an alert ward on the cell door that went off when your husband rushed on ahead and opened it without thinking."

"Hey! I resent that. Do you think you would have done any different? I don't think the Marauders were ever known for their self-control," Harry cried in mock offense.

"Hush you," Ginny said taking his hand and rubbing it soothingly. "We both know that he would have done the same. Gryffindors forward and all that but if we get into this, you two will be at it all night and there's other stuff we have talk about."

The resulting pouts on godfather and godson alike was enough to make Ginny crack. She burst out laughing holding her stomach and the other two were quick to follow.

"So what was the name of the person Dumbledore said was after him again? Gellert right? It sounds familiar but I couldn't place it earlier," Harry asked once they had all regained their composure.

Sirius expression immediately sobered once again, "Even though you weren't raised in the wizarding world Harry, I would expect you would recognize that name. Especially after today's events. You were standing in his prison."

Harry looked confused for a moment before his face began to reflect the horror of his realization. "Grindelwald. Gellert Grindelwald. He's the one who imprisoned Dumbledore there? I thought he was dead."

"I believed the same."

"He's been impersonating Dumbledore? For how long? When was Dumbledore kidnapped? I would have noticed it, wouldn't I have? He has been acting strange this year, avoiding me a lot but I thought that had something to do with Voldemort's return."

"Harry," Ginny interrupted, "You saw the condition that he was in. It looks like he has been in that cell for years, not just moths or weeks. You may have never met the real Albus Dumbledore until yesterday. How would you know?"

Harry paled further at this realization before standing up. "I need some air. I'm going for a walk." When it looked like Sirius might object he added, "Don't worry. I'll stay inside the wards you set up. I just need some air."

The other two continued to sit at the table in silence for several minutes, just digesting everything they had just discussed. Ginny rose a moment later and followed her husband outside. She found him sitting on a fallen log watching the sunset. She joined him without saying a word, leaning against his shoulder gently. She knew he had something he had to get off his chest but also knew that he had to open up in his own time. She was rewarded for her patience because several moments later he did.

"I don't know what to do Gin. He was the one adult at Hogwarts I thought I could trust. Now I find out he isn't even who I thought he was, and may never have been at all. What is wrong with my life? I have the two greatest dark lords of our time both fixated on me. One who will stop at nothing until I'm dead and I don't even know what the other wants. I just want to be normal."

"I know it seems hopeless right now but when Professor Dumbledore does wake up, he should have some answers to our questions. The greatest weapon that Grindelwald has is his secrecy or he wouldn't have taken Dumbeldore's place. Now that we know his secret and are momentarily out his reach, we have the upper hand. As for confronting Voldemort, you just need to start training. You've been running the DA without any formal teaching this year and just look at what you did earlier today. Whatever magic you performed shouldn't have been possible."

"But that's the problem! I don't know what I did. All I did was cast relashio on the collar."

"That was no relashio. Relashio emits purple sparks. The ones you had were red and gold. Besides nothing you could cast at the collar should have had an effect. It was made of obsidian, just like the wall you destroyed with your flame spell! I've never seen anything like it."

"I don't know how I did that either. I was just so worried about being caught when I realized we might get separated and then angry at myself for not being able to come up with a way out of the situation. I felt something building inside of me and then it just happened," Harry said feeling helpless.

Ginny wrapped her arm around him and burrowed her head in closer to his chest, "We'll figure it out, luv. We'll figure out how you did this and you'll learn to control it. And I'll be there with you every step of the way." Harry dropped a kiss on the top of her head before they both turned back to watching the sunset in silence, enjoying the feelings of closeness it brought.

 _ **A/N:**_ _Here's another chapter done. One reviewer brought up the fact that the trace would likely be removed if he claimed his Lordship and I was embarrassed to admit I didn't even think of that. I should have realized that considering the amount of Lord Harry stories I've read. I was originally going to leave the trace as I'd written it because there was something I was going to do with that but I figured another way out of that situation so I explained it away in this chapter. Now that the reveal is done, things should get less confusing when dealing with the Dumbledore Harry knew and the one they rescued. From here on in, I'll just call them Grindelwald and Dumbledore. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to update as soon as I can. Please leave me a review and let me know how I did._

 _ **Finished Chapter:**_ _14/02/2016_


	4. Chapter 4

Molly Weasley bustled around the kitchen in the Burrow before dawn, preparing breakfast for all of her children minus two. If you were to ask her about the events of the past several days she would be hard pressed to answer properly. Though she remembered everything that had transpired, it was like she had been seeing it all through some sort of haze. She was still having difficulty accepting that Arthur was gone which was only compounded by her daughters disappearance. But that wasn't what was bugging her.

What had caused her to lay awake all the previous night, staring at the ceiling, was the fact that she couldn't figure out what in the world had possessed her to betroth her Ginny to the Malfoy brat. Something had happened the day before when the Order had all apparated off somewhere with the Headmaster in what, he claimed, was an attempt to regain her child. He said he had a way of tracking Harry that had suddenly became active. Molly had been only too happy to allow her oldest sons to go along, hoping they might tear a few strips off of The-Boy-Who-Lived for kidnapping her only daughter and interfering with her family business.

It had only been a few minutes after they had popped away that her feelings changed. Suddenly, her mind was clear once again and she felt sick to her stomach at what she'd said and done. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't happy that her daughter was married at the age of fourteen and that's why she was confused that only moments before she was content in the fact she had signed that contract to the Malfoys. She had always felt that Harry was like one of her own sons and hated the burdens that had been placed on him. She had always hoped that he would have noticed Ginny in a few years and eventually ended up as her son-in-law. Why had she said those horrible things to him and acted that way. She should be grateful that he had saved Ginny again. And that was the thing that made her feel the worst. He had saved Ginny from her. Molly was tempted to blame the stress that Arthur's death had caused but deep down she knew something else was going on. Something sinister. To be honest she didn't trust herself anymore and that is why she thought it might be for the best that Ginny was missing with her new husband. If she knew one thing about Harry it was that he would give everything and anything for those he considered family.

With those thoughts in mind, she called down her family and served them breakfast. Smiling sadly while she watched her two eldest spoke intently, the twins whispered quietly, plotting something unbeknownst to everyone else, and her youngest son focused intently on the food before him. She hoped they could all make it through the coming war without her family suffering anymore. Stifling a sob she gazed out the window of her family's home, sending a silent prayer that her missing son, despite their recent differences, as well as her newly married daughter and her husband would be safe.

* * *

Gellert Grindelwald paced around the headmasters office of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry seething in anger. First that little brat had upset all his plans concerning Ginevra Weasley. They hadn't been long term plans as he'd never cared that the little girl had harbored feelings for Harry but when he had shown signs of returning them this year, he had begun to plan.

The death of Arthur had presented a perfect opportunity. Taking advantage of a distraught Molly had been all too easy. Temporarily dismantling the dangerous mail redirection wards on Grimmauld Place had ensured that the letters from the Malfoys, laced with compulsion charms, made it to her safely. Then a personal trip to 'pay his respects' where he placed a confundus charm of his own on the Weasley Matriarch and the contract was signed and ready to go

What he never expected that the muggle-raised and Gryffindor-brained Harry Potter found a way to break the supposed 'unbreakable contract.' Not only that, he succeeded in avoiding his suspicions while simultaneously strategically putting his plan into action where it would prove to be the most detrimental to the Malfoy family and in extension Voldemort. Grindelwald had been hopeful that the Malfoys might have been useful in the future but they were currently still in a coma.

Surprisingly that wasn't what had worried him the most. He had been most concerned with Harry taking up his Lordship. He knew that it would now be a lot harder to keep him under control. That's why he had spent the night after Harry's marriage, coming up with plans to deal with these new developments, unconcerned with his missing status. He knew Harry would have to turn up eventually and that's when he would strike.

But that of course would not be. He had been completely caught off guard and suitably panicked when he found out that his missing students and order member had found the location of his greatest secret. On top of that, the boy had escaped him again! With the prisoner! Dumbledore should have died long before he was able to make it out of the building, but he'd found the shattered remains of the collar. Just thought that Harry, and he was certain that it had been Harry, had the power to break the binding forcibly sent shivers of fear up his spine. Apart from that, he really didn't want to know what he'd done to blow a whole that size in the considerably thicker wall.

So, somehow Harry had seemed to become more cunning overnight, somehow he had learned of his lordship, information he had been purposely hiding from him and placed compulsion charms on Sirius not to bring up with his godson, somehow he had learned the truth about life debts, and somehow he had been informed where exactly to look to find evidence of his greatest secret. Information that no one other than himself was supposed to know. Now they had Dumbledore, a whole 'nother source of information about himself and magic in general. The real problem with all of this though, was that there was nothing he could do about it. He felt exhausted after the destruction of the collar. He realized now that he had become far too dependent on the steady stream of energy it had provided over the years, and coupled with the magical backlash that its destruction had caused, he was currently operating at far below what used to his normal, even in his original body. He had just barely been able to obliviate the memory of visiting Nurmengard from the order members who had gone with him. For the first time in a long time, Gellert Grindelwald didn't know what to do next. Harry Potter was seemingly out of his reach and was currently holding all the cards. One thing was for certain though. He had been successful in keeping his power for many years and there was no way he was going to let some lucky teenager ruin things for him without first putting up one hell of a fight.

* * *

"He's awake," Ginny's voice came from the other side of the tent, breaking up Harry's conversation with his godfather. Looking towards the sound of his wife's voice, he saw her helping the old man to amble over towards their small kitchen table. Before he could even think about moving, Sirius was up and at their side, taking most of his weight. Ginny free of her burden, walked over and gave Harry a quick kiss before seating herself on the bench next to him.

"Thank you my boy. Thank you," Dumbledore said, sounding slightly out of breath as he was assisted into a seat.

"Can I get you some food Albus? We've got some leftovers from breakfast?" Sirius asked.

"Some toast would be most appreciated. I don't want to eat too much right away. My old stomach may be a touch delicate for a while. I'd also take some tea if you have any." Dumbledore smiled kindly when Harry's godfather inclined his head at the request. Something seemed different in the smile though. It was not the same one Harry was used to. It was somehow... warmer… more inviting, not the chaotic twinkle that he had come to associate with his eccentric Headmaster.

Turning his gaze on the two younger people in room he continued, "I believe I confused you two with someone else I once knew. I apologize for that, I wasn't all there yesterday. It's just that, standing together, you both looked remarkably similar to another young couple that graduated from Hogwarts many years ago."

"Yes I noticed you calling us by my parent's names and was confused but don't worry about it. How long were you in there? A couple months? I've been trying to figure it all out. I couldn't sleep last night very well. I know I should have realised that you had been swapped out for an imposter! All I could think of that it must have been the beginning of this year. That's when you stopped looking me in the eye and started avoiding me."

"Ah… Lily and James' son. That explains it. You must be Harry I presume?"

"What? I've course I am! You know tha-" Harry was suddenly cut off as Ginny gave his arm a squeeze.

"Harry I think you aren't getting it. Remember what I said yesterday, I don't think the Headmaster has been held captive for a few mere months. You may not have even really met him until yesterday," she said glancing toward the aged wizard.

"I remember what you said yesterday but that just can't be true!" Harry responded emphatically, "I've known Albus Dumbledore for five yea…" He trailed off, again paling slightly, as he thought it all over again but then continued in a small voice, "please don't tell it was all a lie."

After a moment of silence his head finally snapped up fixating on Dumbledore with a pleading look. "I'm sorry to say that yesterday was the first time I've seen you since the time your parents invited me over to their house, shortly after your birth. Though when my… captor… decided to come by and pay me a visit, he would often talk about you and many of the plans he had laid."

"It was Grindelwald right? We heard you say the name Gellert yesterday and it was the only thing that seemed to fit. We all thought he was dead though?"

Dumbledore looked away and to Harry's shock it was the first time he'd ever seen a look of shame cross that face, "Yes, it was. Gellert and I were… close… close at the end of my Hogwarts days. We had a falling out soon after my graduation and went our separate ways. Him to become the dark lord that the world came to know so well. I think that was why I delayed so long in going face him. I knew deep down that I was the only one with the power at the time to pose him a significant threat but I was leery of facing my old friend. I was convinced he would see the error in what he was doing and cease his action yet the death toll continued to rise. It wasn't until another one of my close friends and his family were killed in the muggle London Blitz that I realized the problems my inaction had caused. Gellert and his followers had killed thousands of witches and wizards but the muggle dictator that he had helped rise to power had started a war that had killed millions of muggles as well. It was at that time I resolved myself to do it. I would kill him. He was too dangerous to keep alive. So I tracked him down, and I challenged him to a duel. It was probably the hardest thing I'd ever had to do but I won. He lay there unconscious at my feet but I couldn't finish it. He had been my friend. I couldn't take ano… take his life. I locked him in his own prison and left him there. The people of Britain assumed that he was dead and to my shame I did nothing to correct them. I began to go back and visit him regularly. To my surprise, soon after being imprisoned, he began to act like the man I'd once loved again. I wasn't daft enough to let him free but I began to tell him things. Seek his advice on certain matters and told him of things I was worried about. To my embarrassment, he had been plotting the whole time. One day, in early 1980, I believe, after speaking to him of a prophecy I'd just heard delivered, he surprised me. Using a flaw he had found, he broke free of my security enchantments, leaving me momentarily dazed. He was able to take my wand and force me into his cell which he came back to reinforce several days later."

"You've been stuck in that cell for almost 16 years!" Ginny exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

"Is that how long?" He inquired. "I had begun to lose track over the years. Fortunately Gellert made the same mistake I had. He liked to come and visit, taunting me with what he was up to. This was probably the only thing that kept me sane."

"We'll need to discuss what you know about Grindelwald's plans. This whole situation has blown up way larger than I had ever imagine but this is starting to make some sense of strange things that have happened," Sirius interjected. "But we can talk about that a little later."

"This is a big bloody mess! How has he been able to pull this off for so many years? Is he constantly under polyjuice potion?" Harry asked exasperated.

"Sad enough as it is to say, Gellert probably knows me more than anyone else, and would be able to pull off a very convincing act. The longer it goes on, the less suspicions anyone would have as well," Dumbledore explained. "No, he did not use polyjuice either. He was attempting to make this long term and that would be exceptionally hard with a potion that must be regularly taken. The risk of discovery would be too high. Gellert used a ritual to fashion a fake body for himself in my image, to which he transferred his soul. I always had more power than Gellert and even I would have had to have used most of my magic to control that body. For that reason he placed that obsidian collar around my neck. It created a connection between the two of us where he would siphon all of my magic into himself. This allowed him to run around at his full strength plus whatever was leftover of my own. This all but ensured that I had no chance of escape. The collar _should_ have been impossible to remove before my death."

"But I did remove it…" Harry said weakly.

"Yes you did Mr. Potter… you did indeed. You have a gift. It makes me wonder if this is the power that the prophecy spoke of."

"Prophecy? What prophecy?"

"The very prophecy that caused Gellert to decide to escape after hearing it. The same prophecy that I am told caused Voldemort to come after you and your parents. The prophecy about you. You summoned the very fires of creation yesterday. Something I spent many years of my younger life searching for. Pure Phoenix Flame."

* * *

 **A/N:** _Here you guys go. I finally had time to update. It's a bit of a short chapter but I wanted to give you guys something. It's been pretty busy lately. I had to write 4 mid-term exams, then about 3 essays and now I am already preparing for finals. I'm not sure when I'll have time to update again before the end of April but I'll do my best. I've had several new plot ideas but I've held off on writing those for now because I don't want to get distracted from this story like I did with Fellow Champion. I don't think this fic will end up being very long but we'll have to see. I have a Harry Potter / Dresden Files crossover fic coming after this is done and ideas for both a time travel and dimension travel fic as well. Let me know what you guys think of this chapter by leaving a review! Thanks for reading._


	5. Chapter 5

Harry dropped to the ground with a small thud, breathing heavy. It had been just over a week since Harry and Ginny had met the real Albus Dumbledore for the first time and learned the truth. After that fateful conversation, they had packed up their tent and moved to a location, hoping that it would make them harder to track, and then Harry's training had begun.

Surprisingly it involved a lot of meditation. Dumbledore had told him that he had to get in touch with his powers. He had to find their source so that eventually he would be able to call up the fire at will. He also claimed that these exercises would help in learning something called occulomency, which he remembered Grindelwald saying he would be learning from Snape in the New Year. Harry shuddered and tried not to think about how being closed up in a room for any extended period of time with Snape would have resulted. Despite all this, he could hardly believe he had the type of power that Professor Dumbledore spoke about inside of him. Their conversation on this matter still seemed like a crazy dream.

* * *

"Phoenix flame?" Harry asked incredulously, "Isn't it the same as regular fire? I'm sure you could conjure some as well. It can't be that hard if I did it."

"A phoenix's fire is magical fire Harry. I don't know much about it but I've never heard of a wizard or witch conjuring it before. If Hermione were here she would probably be able to list off a lot more information but I know that much just from growing up in the magical world," Ginny cut in.

"You are correct Mrs. Potter. It is magical fire. Much like the Patronus Charm, it is one of the most powerful forms of light magic in existence, though it has never been seen coming from anywhere but Phoenix's themselves. They say it the very fires of creation itself, opposite to the energy from the void whose physical form is that of obsidian." Dumbledore explained.

"If only Phoenix's can make this fire than how did I use it the other day? I'm nothing special."

"I'm assuming than that my captor did not inform you of the prophecy then? About why your parents had to go into hiding so many years ago?"

"What is this prophecy? I only thought we had to go into hiding because Voldemort was after us."

Sirius shifted guiltily in his seat. "Well you see Harry... don't you think there was a reason that he was after your family? There were lots of families that resisted him and not all of them went into hiding."

"Well I did used to think that but from what you guys have been saying I'm guessing there was another reason. How does this prophecy implicate me? Knowing my luck it isn't good."

"Unfortunately I cannot remember the exact wording. It has been much too long since I have heard it, and I have not have not had the use of penseive in all of that time. I know it spoke of a child who, at the time¸ had yet to be born. You were one of the candidates as was the Longbottoms' child."

"Neville?" Harry interrupted.

"I do not recall his name, but if you know him, then that must be him. Gellert informed me of the cirumstances surrounding your parents' death and it was because of that, he was sure that you were the chosen one. The prophecy went on to say that this child would be the only one with the power to defeat Voldemort. Gellert also told me, soon after I was captured, that he allowed part of the prophecy to be leaked to Death Eater Severus Snape, who passed it along to his master."

* * *

Harry blinked and shook his head to bring himself back to the present. He still felt the rage burning inside of him when he thought about Snape. To think about what he had to put up with over the years in his class only to learn that it was partially his fault that his parents were dead almost drove him over the edge. Harry was sure that if Ginny wasn't around to calm him down, he would have already left to hunt the man down. So he had channeled all of his rage into his training over the past week to disappointing results. Any flames he had been able to produce had been pretty feeble. Harry wasn't sure what he was doing wrong but no matter what he tried he couldn't reproduce the huge fountain of flames like he had in Nurmengard.

"Harry!" Ginny's voice broke him out of his stupor. "They want us back inside the tent. Said something about making some plans.

Harry pulled himself off of the ground and grabbed her hand, pulling her in for a quick kiss, "thanks." He still marvelled at the fact that he could just kiss her now. No more struggling his emotions. Worrying about reciprocated feelings or frantically trying to avoid seeing her with Michael Corner. Despite the fact that they were currently in hiding, things were starting to feel right for Harry.

Upon entering the tent, he spotted the two elder gentlemen sitting at the same spots as their last serious talk. "Ginny said you guys wanted to talk."

"Hey pup. Yes we did. I know you've been working very hard this week on your magic but have disappointed with the results. The problem is that we don't really know how much more we can help you…" Sirius trailed off.

"Even though I studied up on this subject, among many others in my youth, there is not much specific information on it. I believe we need to retrieve a copy of the full prophecy, and hopefully that will be able to give us a clue about accessing your abilities." Dumbledore interjected.

"But how are we going to find out what the whole prophecy said? Snape only heard the beginning of it and wouldn't help us anyway. You were either obliviated of the exact wording or just can't remember it and the other only other person is Grindelwald himself!"

"That is true but every true prophecy ever given is recorded and kept in the Department of Mysteries in the Ministry of Magic." Dumbledore explained.

"The recordings are enchanted so only those who are referred to by the prophecy may remove them. That's what the Order has been guarding. Dumble… or err Grindelwald was convinced that Voldemort would send Death Eaters after it and eventually come himself when he realized that."

"Is that why my father died" Ginny asked with a small voice before continuing with greater strength. "Did he die guarding a recording that could have been just destroyed to keep it safe? It's not like Grindelwald didn't already know what it said." She scoffed and then froze as her eyes widened in realization. "It's bait isn't it? He wants to leave it there to lure Voldemort out into the open? That's it? My dad died for that?"

Harry pulled her into a tight hug trying to comfort her. After hearing all this Harry's anger rose once again. He was starting to hate Grindelwald almost as much as Voldemort. He wasn't going around killing people in the same way as Voldemort, but he was ruining people's lives, especially the girl currently in his arms, with his manipulations and plans.

"I'm afraid we think that might be the case. We obviously don't want the full prophecy getting into Voldemort's hands just as much Grindelwald. That's why I propose you Harry, Ginny and Sirius need to break into the Department of Mysteries at night, find out the exact wording of the prophecy and then destroy it. Once we review what exactly it says we can make our next plans."

"Break into the Ministry? Are you crazy? Fudge has already had it out for me all year and you do remember that we are currently in hiding, right? Sirius is still actively being hunted! This is way too dangerous!"

"Calm down Harry!" Sirius interrupted. "We can do this. The ministry is barely defended at night. There's no one there. No one goes down the Department of Mysteries anyways. How do you think the order has been sneaking in there for guard duty every night?"

"Ok fine… I understand but shouldn't I just go in alone. If it's as simple as you said, there's no need to put the both of you in dang…"

The outraged shouts from both his godfather and wife cut him off. "It should be simple Harry, but that doesn't mean we should be careless," Sirius said with a forced calm. "You can't do everything alone. We're at war. People are in danger no matter what. We are going to do this together. We'll guard each other's backs. The way it's meant to be."

Seeing a look of grim determination on Ginny's face, Harry sighed in resignation, and nodded his assent.

* * *

That's how Harry found himself, several days later, in the middle of the night, stuffed inside an out of order telephone box with his two traveling companions. Dialling the appropriate number, he felt the phone booth give a jerk and start to lower into the ground before a cool feminine voice emanated from all around them, "Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and the nature of your business this evening."

"Harry Potter, Ginny Potter, and…" Harry paused shooting his worried looking godfather a look, "and Stubby Boardman. We're here to retrieve a prophecy." Sirius shot him a confused look but Harry just shrugged it off. Three buttons slid out of the shoot of the payphone. They each contained one of the given names and 'Consulting the Future.'

"Whose voice was that?" Ginny asked.

"I'm pretty sure that it's just a charm to create the buttons. I don't think someone actually monitors it," Sirius answered still looking slightly nervous.

"Well let's hope not. Even though we didn't give Sirius' name, I wouldn't be surprised if Fudge called the aurors if I showed up in the Ministry in the middle of the night."

The booth thumped to a halt as it reached the floor and they all tripped over each other as the doors opened creating lots of noise that echoed around the eerily silent atrium. Motioning for them to follow silently, Harry started moving in the same direction as the last time he had been here but paused when he noticed the guard desk to be empty. "I know you said that the Ministry was empty at night Sirius, but I thought we would still have to get passed the guard. How can they expect the Ministry to be secure when there are no protections?" Harry whispered furiously.

"I don't know. The security has always been lax but there was supposed to be a guard. That's why we brought the cloak. Something doesn't seem right here. Let's finish this quickly so we can leave."

As if on cue they all began to silently move across the atrium, towards the lifts. Entering one, Sirius pressed the appropriate button. 'Level Nine. Department of Mysteries,' the same female from the phone booth announced loudly making them all jump.

Starting their way down the hall they kept their wands raised and ears peeled. "Where's the order guard?" Ginny whispered.

"I don't know. If Mundungus was supposed to be on duty he might have just skived off. It's happened a few times. Otherwise Grindelwald might have the order out looking for us full time. Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth."

"This is the right place. I've been dreaming about this door for months." Harry said once they reached the end of the hall.

"Is this where… where my dad…" Ginny asked. Harry her hand a reassuring squeeze. "Let's just move on. I don't want to be here any longer."

Opening the door they stepped into a small round room with even more identical doors. Harry was just about to question Sirius, who brought up the rear of their group, about which door to pick when the one behind them shut with a snap and the room began to spin. It sped up faster and faster, until the doors were a blur then stopped suddenly, looking the same as it did before it began moving.

"I thought you said this would be easy Sirius and there wouldn't be any protection to worry about?"

"Oh this isn't a safeguard Harry. We're just confusing it with all of us in here," Sirius said with a grin and then in a loud commanding voice continued, "Hall of Prophecy."

The room spun again for a second time before again eventually stopping, the door directly in front of them opening. The room beyond was very dark. It was full of shelves upon shelves, as far as the eye could see, of blue orbs. Harry was sure that the room was at least as large as the Great Hall at Hogwarts but couldn't tell for certain in the gloom.

They set off in search for the row number that Sirius remembered Grindelwald mentioning in an order meeting. "I think I found it," Ginny announced a few moments later. The other two quickly hurried over and Harry confirmed that it was indeed what they were there for.

"Now what?" Harry asked feeling foolish after he'd taken it off the shelf. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting but he thought holding it in his hands for the first time would have been a bit more dramatic.

"Well, either we can try and track down one of the special devices they use to play these things or you can just smash it on the ground to hear what it has to say."

"We were going to destroy it anyway… but, really? I just smash it," Harry asked, and after Sirius' enthusiastic nod, "Ok… well here goes nothing." Harry hurled the small glass sphere at the ground away from his feet. It smashed exactly how he expected it to but what he was not expecting was the strange mist that was seeping out of the wreckage or how it coalesced into the ghostly form of Professor Trelawney.

" _ **The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...  
born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...  
and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...  
and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...  
the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."**_

Ginny gave Harry a tight squeeze as their fears were realized. Sirius looked a little shaky but Harry could tell he was trying to put on a brave face, "I don't think that was any different than we expected. We can go over the wording with Dumbledore later."

Harry's head was spinning. Like Sirius said, he had been prepared for it, but it hadn't felt real until this moment. His heart was pounding and his palms felt sweaty but he tried to shake off for now, "Ya. Let's just get out of here. I want to get back… this whole department is creepy."

Sirius gave a stiff nod and began to head towards the door, giving Harry a clap on the back as he passed. Harry had never felt more grateful to his godfather than he did in that moment. He knew not to make a big deal over what they just heard so that they could all keep it together till they returned to the tent.

Opening the door the door they exited into a room Harry hadn't seen before. It had strange objects throughout. It actually reminded Harry of a muggle science lab. There were large chalk boards covered in notes and equations he didn't understand affixed to the walls and tables with varying containers bellow. The strangest sight of all though, was several large tanks in the middle of the room. Harry would have thought it was an aquarium if it weren't for the fact that the tanks contained what looked like large human brains, swimming around slowly.

"The entrance hall with all the doors allows the users direct access to any of the rooms but you have to find your way back out manually. There are rumours about people getting lost down here when they came snooping. Luckily Grindelwald gave us some basic directions in case we had to tail Death Eaters down here," Sirius explained at Harry's questioning look.

Harry hurried through the next door, eager to past the strange sight, but froze as he crossed the threshold almost causing Sirius and Ginny to run into him. The room before him was dark like most of rooms in the department but Harry could tell it was some kind of amphitheatre. He was standing at the top of a row of seats looking down into the pit. What he saw was strange. It was a large archway covered in dark runes. The arch self was empty except for a rippling in the air. It was almost as if a curtain were hung there but Harry just knew there wasn't. Yet it wasn't the strange sight that had him frozen in spot, it was what he was feeling from the arch. He knew it was powerful. It was like waves of energy were rolling off of hit and slapping him in the face. He associated a similar feeling to the walls of Hogwarts and other places of great magic but nothing had called out to him like this. His very magic was singing in his veins. It was urging him to approach the strange artifact.

"That's the veil of death. No one really knows what it is. From what I've heard it predates the Ministry itself. I believe this very building was built around it. Some say it's a connection to other universes or even a direct portal to the after world," Sirius' voice broke him out of his reverie. He hadn't even noticed that he had started to wander closer until then.

Suddenly the door across the room banged open and several robed Death Eaters swept in causing the three already there to tense and raise their wands. "Well, well, well. What do we have here? A filthy half-blood, blood-traitor, and the disgrace of the Noble House of Black. It must be my lucky day," the speaker was obviously insane. Their voice came out babyish and mocking, grating on Harry's nerves.

"Bellatrix," Sirius growled from beside him. "Expulso!"

A jet of blue light rocketed from his godfather's wand towards the witch, who Harry now recognized as Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius' cousin. She was able to shield against his explosive curse and returned fire with something else. They exchanged fire a couple times. The last one from Bellatrix would have taken Harry's head off if he hadn't ducked just in time. It was at this point that they heard it.

"Enough!" The voice that haunted Harry's nightmares hissed out of the darkness. Materializing in front of his Death Eaters was the pale and snakelike face of Lord Voldemort. "Ah Harry. It's been almost a year since you so rudely departed my celebration. Lucius here tells me that the Minister had to send someone to watch you for fear of you working to overthrow the Ministry." The Dark Lord smirked cruelly as he mocked Harry, "While it's an admirable ambition, I'm sorry to say you won't get the chance. Now hand over the prophecy."

"No!"

"Let me rephrase that. Hand it over now or I will pry it out of your lifeless hands."

"You'll kill me either way so why would I help you out Tom." His face twisted in rage at hearing his name.

"You dare speak to the Dark Lord!" Bellatrix screeched. "Accio prophecy!" Nothing happened.

"Crucio!" While Bellatrix spoke, Voldemort had already began to turn his upon he and she fell to the ground twitching under his curse. "I told you to stand down!" Turning back towards Harry, his calm and silky voice forgotten, "I'm losing my patience Potter. Hand it over."

"I can't! I destroyed it!" Harry said and then hoping that he had the element of surprise cried, "Stupefy!"

Voldemort casually deflected the curse away with a barely perceivable flick of his wrist. "Fine. We will do this the hard way. Don't forget, I ever the merciful Lord, gave you a chance. Let's see how you dueling skills have improved in the last year. I'll give you the first shot after which I will rip the knowledge of the prophecy from your very mind."

Harry knew he had little chance of taking him down but also realized this might be one of his only chances so he stepped forward. "Stupefy!" It was again batted aside.

"Come now Harry, you've already tried that once. Is that all you've got?"

Harry gritted his teeth, "Confringo!"

Much like his stunning spell, it was deflected, this time hitting one of the masked Death Eaters who dropped to the ground with a cry of pain. Voldemort didn't seem to care. He didn't even give them a second look. "Better Harry but it's still not enough. How does Dumbledore expect you to defeat me!"

"Bombarda!" Confrigo! Diffindo!" Harry fired off the three spells in rapid succession. They were all stopped.

"I consider myself disappointed. I expected more from the great Harry Potter," Voldemort sneered. "Even your pathetic father put up more of a fight before I killed him. Even your mudblood mother…"

Harry's ears started ringing the moment Voldemort started talking about his parents. All the pain and the years of loneliness came to forefront of his mind all at once and with a snarl he thrust he wand at the source. The now slightly familiar golden flames shot from the tip at Voldemort. Harry saw him smile slightly as if he had been waiting for Harry to snap. He lazily erected a purple coloured shield in front of him, yet when the flames reached it they punched right through and continued on their way. Voldemort only had time for his eyes to widen slightly and to hastily raise his one arm to cover his face.

Though the flames were larger than any previous time he had conjured them, Harry clearly felt the strain and was unable to hold them for long. As they faded away, so did the phoenix song they produced. The first thing Harry saw were Voldemort's red eyes glowing with anger as he stepped back out of the shadows, his one arm covered in burns. "Enough of these games. Avada Kedavra!"

The sickly green curse sailed from Voldemort's pale wand, yet it wasn't heading towards him as he expected, instead it was approaching Ginny who was frozen in wide eyed fear. Acting without thought Harry leapt towards her, putting himself in between it and her. He felt something slam into his back with great force and then everything went black.

* * *

Harry opened his eyes to blinding white light. Blinking several times he sat up. Something felt different. He felt… lighter for some reason. As if some great weight had been taken off of his shoulders. The ground below him was solid and flat stretching out endlessly in every direction. Suddenly footsteps sounded behind him, approaching his location. Spinning around he looked to see who was there and froze. Before him stood a sight he had only seen in the photo album currently in his school trunk. "Dad?"

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _I know, I know. What an awful cliff hanger. I hope you guys are enjoying this story still. Sorry about not being able to update regularly but University has been busy. I just wrote my first out of five final exams today. Please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts. Also the prophecy came directly from Harry Potter and Goblet of Fire. I didn't write it._

 _ **Finished Chapter:**_ _10/04/2016_


	6. Chapter 6

" _Dad?"_

"Yes Harry," he just gaped at the man that looked so much like him, before rushing forward and embracing his father for the first time. "It's good to see you son."

Son. That word sent trills of pleasure shooting through his body. It's the one thing he had always craved. The nicest thing his Uncle had ever called him had been 'boy' and that was usually being bellowed angrily while he waited to assign him some new chores. The one thing he had always wanted was to be called someone's son. Even before he'd been able to understand that his parents were dead, he had wanted to have people to call mum and dad.

That last thought made him freeze before he stepped back, "A-am I dead?"

"No Harry you are not dead. You are currently in-between. Some would call this limbo. That's what is allowing us to speak, but you will be returning to your body soon enough," he said with a smile.

"But didn't Voldemort hit me with the killing curse again?" He asked confused, clearly remembering jumping in front of Ginny to shield her from said curse, but then before he could answer another thought popped into his head. "Where's mum?"

"In a way those answers are related," James seemed amused before quickly becoming more serious. "Listen Harry, I have a lot of information I need to pass to you and our time is short. I wish more than anything that we could spend more time getting to know each other but we don't have time. I've watched over you all these years and I couldn't be more proud, but I need you to be strong once more for me. Let me get through all of this and I will try to answer any questions I can at the end if there's time. Ok?" Harry nodded quickly, fighting the prickling at the back of his eyes that started after his father said he was proud of him. "Ok, I guess to answer your first question, the reason your mother isn't here, is because she never has been. She hasn't passed on yet."

Harry felt dizzy. His whole world was spinning around him. She hadn't passed on yet? What did that mean? Was she alive? "W-w-what?"

James gave him a look clearly saying 'what did I just say about interrupting?'

"Sorry," he added meekly, miming locking his mouth and throwing away the key.

"Like I said she hasn't passed on yet. When she sacrificed herself for you 14 years ago, her very spirit, her soul, bonded itself to your body. That was what protected you from Voldemort. In the graveyard last year Voldemort said that he had destroyed the protection and was able to touch you but that is not true. It is still intact, all he did was find a way of getting around it. With your blood running through his veins, Lily can't harm him without also harming you."

Harry was astounded and couldn't help but feel comforted by the fact that she had always been there, protecting him.

"Now on to how you survived the killing curse again. You have to understand that Voldemort is obsessed with the idea of immortality. He fears death more than anything else. He has created protections, safeguards to make sure he is never killed. There is something called a Horcrux. It is one of the darkest and most foul pieces of magic to ever be discovered. A Horcrux is created by splitting your soul through cold blooded murder. Than with a ritual, you take a piece of soul and place it in an object for safekeeping. As long as that object is safe, you cannot die. That is why Voldemort didn't die after his curse rebounded upon him all those years ago. The problem is what he has done is unprecedented. He didn't just create one Horcrux, he made multiple, causing him to look like he does today. You've actually encountered and destroyed the first Horcrux that he created in school."

Again Harry's mind was awhirl, processing all of this new information. He was trying to figure out where he had encountered a piece of the Dark Lord's soul. Inspiration finally struck, "Tom Riddle's Diary. Of course!" Before he realized what this meant and paled, "Oh merlin! Ginny!"

"Yes the new Lady Potter has incredibly strong willpower to have resisted him for so long. Though I don't doubt the experience was very unpleasant."

"She still has nightmares about it sometimes," he murmured absentmindedly.

"She's a good match for you. You make sure to pass along how proud I am to have her as a daughter-in-law." Harry nodded. "Now, back to the discussion. Voldemort has split his soul so many times that it is very unstable. That night when he was hit by his own rebounding curse, a small piece broke off and attached itself to the only living thing in the room." He explained pointing to Harry's forehead. "That's why it's always pained you to be near him, and it's why you had connection into his mind. When he hit you again with the killing curse, it removed the Horcrux in your scar, leaving your soul free."

"But what about mum! You said her soul attached itself to my body as well! Would it harm her?" Harry asked clearly starting to panic.

"That's different. That came to pass through an ultimate act of love and willing sacrifice. Your mother's soul is whole and pure like your own. Voldemort was only able to harm the part that was himself," he said. "Now when you return, you should find that it will be easier to access your powers. Your magic has been fighting off the effects of the Horcrux for your whole life, leaving you with a fraction of your total power to use."

"Even if it is easier I still have basically no training!"

"Well I'm sorry to say there isn't a spell book anywhere that will help you. Rely on your instinct. Trust me, you'll know what you need to do. Now, this next bit is very important. That archway you were near and asking Sirius about, it's not a portal or gateway of any kind. It was designed hundreds and hundreds of years ago by the last wizard to possess your power. Once you power it up, its abilities are almost limitless. It always had a strange side effect though. If someone were to walk through the arch it would absorb their life and their magic, attempting to power itself. Despite this, the whole population of Britain could do so and it wouldn't be fully charged. It's been sitting neglected for so long that it probably only has one good use left in it, which is good because we only need to use it once."

"Wait what? I have to use it? For what?" Harry exclaimed.

"This is crucial Harry, you will need her help, along with Dumbledore to complete your quest. Lily was always a prodigy at charms and did a lot of research into ritual magic while pregnant with you."

"Wait I… I can bring her back?" He asked, starting feel lightheaded.

"You're not really bringing her back per say as she didn't really die in the first place. She's just without a functioning body at the moment," he said. "It really depends on your definition of life."

"B-but what about you?"

"I passed over a long time ago Harry. Nothing can truly return you once that's happened. I'll always be watching over you and we'll all meet again someday once you have had a long and fulfilling life." Harry rushed forward again hugging his father tightly, trying to swallow passed the lump in his throat. "We're almost out of time so I need to be quick. You need to charge up the arch. When that happens you will need to release your mothers soul into it and the arch will do the rest. You will know it's charged when those runes you noticed before are glowing a bright gold. The Aurors will be showing up within a couple minutes of your return to respond to a disturbance in the Department of Mysteries. The Minister will be with them as he was tipped off that you would be breaking in by Lucius Malfoy and was hoping to use it as an excuse to have you arrested. Lucius and Draco survived the fiasco you created at Gringotts and he still makes appearances at the Ministry but Fudge doesn't yet now that he's now a squib. His political influence is the only thing that stopped Voldemort from killing him. The Death Eaters set charms to alert them when you arrived, hoping the dreams Voldemort has been sending you would be enough to peak your curiosity. You will need to figure out a way to both complete the process with the arch and keep Voldemort occupied until the aurors arrive."

"I can't do that!" If you were watching you saw how easily he batted my spells away.

"I have faith in you Harry. Remember you will going back now with your full power. Even untested it should make a difference and you can count on the fact Voldemort will be thrown off balance by your survival. Also luckily for you, the chamber does have anti-apparition wards, unlike the Ministry Atrium."

"What about those Horcruxes you were talking about? How do I find them all? How many are there? You said he can't die until they are destroyed right?"

"That is why you are going to need your mother. Though you will no longer have to worry about having a connection to him, you know what his magic feels like. You housed one of his Horcruxes for 14 years. Despite the fact that they are split apart, they are still all part of his soul, they are connected. You will need to eventually preform a ritual to destroy them. Dumbledore and Lily should be able to work something out and hopefully you won't have to search for them at all. Your gifts are very powerful Harry! They are the magic of creation and life itself, the exact opposite of those used to create the Horcruxes," James said emphatically before sobering, "I believe our time is up."

"What? No! I've barely gotten to know you at all," Harry exclaimed desperately.

"I'm sorry son. Just know how proud I am of you. I am glad your mother will be with you again as it should be. Take care of each other and your beautiful wife. I am always with you, especially when you call upon that magnificent patronus. I will see you again."

And just like that, everything began to go dark once again but before Harry lost consciousness he thought he heard a faint whisper in his ear of _'I love you son.'_

* * *

Harry started to come around to the sound of his name being called over and over. Blinking open his eyes, he heard a gasp and found himself staring into the wide-eyed, tear streaked face of his wife. He noted his head was being cradled in her lap. Normally this would be a happy position to be in, but the tear tracks on Ginny's face sort of ruined the mood. He hated to see her cry, not that it had occurred often when he'd known her, just recently he realized. Not knowing what else to do he reached out and gently caressed her smooth cheek, wiping away the wetness he found there. She was still frozen, staring at him, mouth open.

Other sounds from around him started to permeate his brain. First, high pitched cruel laughter. Second, jeers and yells of jubilation from what sounded to be a small group of people. Third, a familiar voice yelling, "YOU BASTARDS! YOU KILLED MY GODSON! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Harry leapt to his feet, everything coming back to him in a rush. Breaking into the Ministry. Hearing the prophecy. Dueling Voldemort. Jumping in front of the killing curse heading at Ginny. Meeting his father. Finding out his mother is ALIVE… sort of… or at least she would be soon.

Everything in front of him appeared like it was happening in slow motion. He watched his godfather charging the Dark Lord, wand forgotten in his rage, looking like he was going to attempt to strangle him. Not a good idea. He watched Voldemort flick his wand and suddenly Sirius was careening through the air straight towards the veil. The veil! Harry knew what he had to do.

Flicking his own wand he stopped Sirius midair and gently lowered him to the ground. As he did so he felt it for the first time. His magic. Flowing through his body. There was so much of it! Harry could almost hear the Phoenix Song vibrating though his bones. Looking back over at the Death Eaters he found Voldemort standing stock still, a look of shock and slight fear on his face.

Inclining his head he said, "Tom." He flourished his wand in his direction, giving shape to a giant Phoenix made entirely of golden flames. Then without a backwards glance he turned and sprinted towards the veil. Skidding to a stop he looked upon the ancient magical object, taking in the unstable energies emanating from it that he hadn't notice before. "Come on. Just work for one last job." Harry murmured to himself.

Raising his wand once again, he pushed his magic through it, outputting a steady stream of, the now familiar, golden flames, larger than even the ones used to burn Voldemort's arm earlier. At first they seemed to hit the center of the arch and disappear but then, the ripples in the air became more pronounced, taking on a golden hue. The stone itself started to hum, resonating with the phoenix song already filling the air. The few Death Eaters who moments ago looked uneasy now looked terrified about what they were witnessing. Harry could see Voldemort trying and failing to dispel the giant flaming bird that was diving at him. There were a few of his followers laying on the ground badly burned, obviously having been forced in between their master and Harry's conjuration.

The runes that had before been dark were now starting to glow with the same golden light yet Harry noticed the cracks in between them starting to widen. Clenching his teeth in determination he gave one last push with his magic, expanding the size of the flames, then he watched as the last rune began to glow. He quickly cut off the stream of flame and took a second to catch his breath.

It was then that he noticed a tingling all over his skin. Looking down he saw a pale white mist rising off of his skin and begin to coalesce into a floating orb. It was at this moment that Harry realized something was different. He felt as if something was missing from inside him, a comforting presence that he had never realized was there until it was now gone. Gathering the orb into his hands he felt the return of the presence momentarily but with great reluctance he pushed it away towards the now golden veil.

When it reached its destination, it disappeared with a ripple through the air. Harry waited but nothing happened. He was just starting to feel the beginnings of panic when it happened. The golden runes flashed brightly, momentarily blinding him, and almost making him miss the sight of someone stepping out of the veil. Harry looked up into a confused face that he was only familiar with after years of gazing into his treasured photo album. The woman in question's eyes suddenly rolled up into her head as she fell into unconsciousness. Luckily Harry was already moving and caught her before she could hit the ground. Supporting her weight he began to amble back over to his companions as he heard the stone arch behind him give one last giant crack and begin to crumble to the ground.

Suddenly the doors burst open, allowing in a stream of red cloaked figures and none other than the Minister of Magic, green bowler hat and all. One of the aurors at the front began to speak, "Harry Potter. You are under arr-" He stopped, noticing for the first time the Dark Lord facing off against the giant, albeit fading, phoenix made of fire.

Said Dark Lord gave one last scream of rage before disappearing with a large pop that shook the walls of the room. "Merlin's Beard! He just apparated right through the wards, tearing them down!" One auror exclaimed.

"H-h-he's back!" Was the last thing Fudge said before he too fainted.

Turning towards Sirius who was standing near Ginny, "We need to go. They just said that the wards are down from Voldemort's departure."

It was only then that he noted Sirius' pale completion, "Harry! You're alive!" Then looking at who he was supporting, "L-l-lily? How?"

"Sirius," Harry said in a warning tone, "I'll explain later but first we need to get out of here."

"R-right," he stuttered.

"Ginny, can you help me with my mum." Even saying the word out loud sounded strange but amazing nonetheless. Ginny nodded jerkily, eyes wide, obviously still in shock as well. Once she had moved over to assist and Sirius had grabbed on, he gave a twist and they all popped out of existence.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ _There you go. Another chapter done already. I hope this lives up to your expectations. This is near the end of where I had originally planned out so I had been starting to worry about it, but the other day, I sat down and figured out where I want the rest of this fic to go so we should be good on that front. I actually have so many plot ideas right now that my main problem is stopping myself from starting another story because I know I can't focus on two at once. I've already made that mistake once. Please let me know what you guys think in the comments. I appreciate all the feedback I get._

 _ **Finished Chapter:**_ _13/04/2016_


	7. Chapter 7

Lily Potter came awake with a small moan. Squinting her eyes against the bright light, she took a moment to let them adjust. Looking around she realized she didn't recognize the bed she woke up in. Fighting down the panic she took a deep breath and looked around the room again.

This time she noticed that she seemed to be in one of those magical tents. James had shown her one once. James. Where was he? And Harry? She'd heard the low murmuring of conversation outside her door but that seemed to have stopped a moment, ago after she had awoken. Glancing around for her non-existent wand, she began to get out of the bed only to freeze when there was a knock on her door. It was opened a moment later by a man who looked to be in his mid-forties.

He froze upon meeting her gaze and looked to be at a loss for words. "Lily?" He asked hesitantly. It was then, with a start, that she finally recognized him.

"Sirius! What happened to you?" She cried, feeling more at ease that she was around a familiar face, though aged one at that. "Were you messing around with an aging potion again? Aren't you really too old to be pulling pranks," she continued feeling exacerbated.

"Err not exactly," he responded looking uncomfortable. "What exactly is the last thing you remember?"

"I don't know," she scrunched up her face in concentration. "Hmm, let me see. I think… it was… Halloween. Ya, Halloween right?" At his nod, she continued, "and James and I were playing with Harry in the living room. I know I was upset because I couldn't dress him up and take him out trick-or-treating. His first Halloween he was still too young, so I wanted to take him out this year even if he probably wouldn't remember it but I agreed with James that it was too dangerous."

"Ok. Do you remember anything else?" He asked tentatively.

"Umm… I think there was something else. It's all a blur," She stared off in to the distance for a moment trying to kick-start her brain into gear. Suddenly it all started coming back causing her to stiffen and she felt that her lower lip had started to tremble. "Oh my god. J-J-James. H-he found us and he killed James." Tears were making themselves known running down her face. "What about Harry? Is he safe?"

"Well things are a bit complicated," he answered not really answering.

"What's complicated? Is my son-," she swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Is my son alive?"

"Yes he is…"

"Well… what's so complicated about that?" She asked cutting him off.

"Ok. Like I said it's complicated. You have to keep calm and let me explain."

Lily felt the panic that was slowly abating ever since hearing the declaration that Harry was alive surge back up anew at Sirius' obvious reluctance to tell her something. "Just tell me what's wrong!" She growled.

"Ok. Ok." He said waving his hands placating. "I really don't know how to say this…" at her glare he hurried on. "Well… you see… it's 1995. Practically 1996 with New Year's tomorrow." Sirius was babbling at this point but Lily was no longer listening as she tried to make sense of what she'd just heard.

"What do you mean its 1995? It's 1981 and it was Halloween last night, it's not December. This better not be your idea of a joke!"

"No no no! Lily, calm down. I know this must be difficult but it's true. It's been just under 14 years since James… died."

Lily tried to slow her breathing down but this was all too much for her to take in. It felt like she had just seen James hours ago. 14 years! "Have I been in a coma or something? I thought Voldemort was about to hit me with the killing curse."

"Err no not exactly. You were dead, well, sort of. You weren't completely dead… I don't know! I don't really understand it. All I know is that Harry brought you back to life."

"He… what? How did he… He's only… Oh merlin! What is he? Like 15 now? My baby is all grown up! I was just holding him my arms yesterday!" She broke down once again. "But you said he's ok? How did he get away from Voldemort?"

"He didn't really get away… no one really knows what really happened," at the dark look she was giving him he hurried on, "well I guess he got away, like I said he's alive, right? It's just the first time he got hit with the killing curse so I can't really say unscathed." Sirius suddenly paled when he realized what he had just blurted out.

"The first time?" She questioned and attempted to figure that out for a moment, before giving up. "You know what? I don't care. All of this is too surreal. He's really ok though? He… he had a good childhood?" She asked the last part weakly.

She noticed immediately that Sirius looked uneasy for some reason but decided to drop it for now. "He's a good kid but I think it would be best for him to tell you about himself. He's been waiting for you to wake up."

"Wait he's here?" She asked suddenly feeling very nervous. She couldn't help but start wondering if he would like her or even need her anymore. Changing her baby's diapers and trying to get him to sleep through the night no longer seemed that difficult because at least then she knew he needed her.

"Of course! I told you Harry was the one to bring you back. He and Ginny really want to meet you."

"Oh right. This is such a strange situation," she muttered before picking up on something else. "Ginny? Who's Ginny?" Her first thought was that Sirius had finally settled down and had a child of his own but she noticed that he wasn't wearing a wedding band. Mulling this over for a moment it, the realization finally struck her. Her son was 15! "It's his girlfriend isn't?" Surprisingly it came out in a calm voice, but inside was pure turmoil. She wasn't sure how deal with this new revelation but figured it was just one more thing she would have to get used to about her new situation.

"Err… actually… she's his wife."

Silence reigned throughout the room. Lily's was stuck trying to process that last statement, her brain trying to convince her that she'd misheard him. Lily Potter then lost her temper for the first time in fourteen years. "SIRIUS ORION BLACK! ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT YOU LET MY SON GET MARRIED AT THE AGE OF FIFTEEN!?" She lunged towards him.

* * *

Harry Potter paced back in forth in the kitchen area of the tent feeling restless. The past twenty-four hours had been extremely strange. First he had broken into one of the most secure departments of the Ministry of Magic. Second he had gotten proof of a prophecy stating that he was the only one who could defeat Voldemort, who people widely accepted as one of the most powerful wizards in the world. Third he had been hit by the killing curse for the second time in his life and survived. This had allowed him to communicate with his dead father, giving him the answers surrounding Voldemort's supposed immortality and the fact that his mother wasn't quite dead yet. Then after successfully holding off Voldemort for several moments he succeeded in using an ancient magical artifact to bring her back fully. This coincided with the time that the aurors arrived, proving to the incompetent Minister of Magic that said Dark Lord had in fact returned. Now his mother had finally woken up and he was forced to wait out here. He just wanted to go see her.

Finally he sat down with a sigh. The bedroom door had been closed for a while and he knew Sirius would come out to get him as soon as she was ready to see him. Truthfully he was feeling pretty nervous about the meeting but tried to clamp down on those feelings by thinking about all the times, locked in his cupboard, that he'd dreamed of this. He felt Ginny squeeze his shoulder gently, silently passing him comfort. He followed up with small squeeze of his own on her knee. Dumbledore sat across from them, an amused smile on his face. He'd been fascinated when Harry, with the help of Ginny and Sirius, explained the night's events, especially about the information he'd received from his father about the Horcruxes and the idea for the ritual.

He'd heard some low voices coming from the room and few minutes earlier, he had been sure that he had heard crying. It took everything he had to remain where he was, he realized that if she didn't have any memories since that night, she probably was just realizing that his father was dead. Again the traitorous thoughts started to worm themselves into his brain. What if she'd have rather died and joined his father? Maybe she wished he had never resurrected her? Somewhere deep down he knew he was being paranoid but he couldn't help but wonder if his Aunt and Uncle had been right? Maybe he was just a freak? He probably hadn't turned out the way she would have wanted. He'd heard from Remus and Sirius that she was incredibly smart. He only had average grades, letting the Dursley's rules from primary school somehow seep into his life at Hogwarts. Harry suddenly wished he hadn't scoffed at Hermione's revision schedules, not that he was even sure if he could return to Hogwarts yet.

Suddenly he heard loud shouting coming from the other room. He was up and already moving, not paying attention to the words that were being shouted, when he heard the resounding smack and the silence that followed. Reaching the door, and ignoring Ginny calling his name from behind, he wrenched it open. He made to step into the room before freezing in sight of a pair of identical emerald green eyes. The first time he had seen said eyes outside of the Mirror of Erised. Harry felt shocked. He wasn't quite sure why he felt shocked. It's not like he hadn't known who resided on the other side of the door. It all still felt so surreal like one of his childhood fantasies come to life. He'd had an easier time accepting that he was meeting his father in limbo than this. As much as he wanted a father to talk Quidditch with, get advice about girls, and go flying with, that void had been partially filled. Once he'd successfully cast his patronus for the first time he'd felt close to James Potter. He even had his cloak and his map. Sirius had even been doing the best he could to fill in that role but he'd never had anything from Lily Potter. Before this latest incident with Ginny, Mrs. Weasley had tried hard but it wasn't the same, and Aunt Petunia had smothered any early childhood attempts to get some maternal affection. So now, presented with his mother, who had sacrificed her life for him, now alive and whole, he didn't know what to do.

Sensing Ginny's approaching presence snapped him out of his stupor. He glanced over at Sirius who was slowly rubbing cheek that sported a bright red hand print. "What happened in here?" He asked, only briefly glancing back at his mother who was now staring at him with an intensity that was almost frightening.

"It wasn't my fault," Sirius whined. "She just attacked me." He then continued to mutter to himself, "Forgot she had such a temper. Bloody frightening woman."

"I wouldn't need to smack you, if you hadn't been so irresponsible and done your duty as godfather," she broke off her stare, turning to look at Sirius who cringed under her gaze.

"Don't blame him!" Harry babbled worriedly. "It's not his fault he got locked in Azkaban for all those years. It was Pettigrew!"

"Thanks Harry! I'm sure that was the best idea to tell her that now when she's already angry with me," Sirius interjected sarcastically. "Throw me under the bus why don't you?"

"What does he mean about you getting yourself locked up in Azkaban?" She asked slowly.

"Oh oops. I just assumed that's what she was talking about… which other thing is she mad at?"

"Harry, you know I love you, but you are really not helping my case right now," He said inching away from the enraged redhead.

"What other things is he talking about Sirius?"

"Oy! Would you all shut it!" Ginny pushed her way into the room. "You can interrogate Sirius later. Harry just resurrected his mother from the merlin-be-damned grave and the first thing you three do is argue about how much Sirius has screwed up or not. I know there's lots to discuss when you're talking about him and responsibility in the same sentence…"

"Hey! I Take offense to that!" Ginny just arched her eyebrow. He quickly shut up.

"But you guys need to sort out your priorities first." Harry snorted. Ginny leveled her gaze at him. "Something funny?"

"Just reminded me about something Ron once…" he trailed off and then muttered, "never mind."

"Now why don't we all head out into the other room where it's more comfortable and have a nice long chat." She didn't wait for answer.

Mother and son were looking at each other again, neither making a move for a moment before Lily exited to follow Ginny. Harry's eyes remained fixed on the wall behind where she had been standing, trying to figure out what to do next. The silence was broken by groan from Sirius, "We're doomed Harry! Doomed! There's two of them."

* * *

Harry sat down on the couch beside Ginny and opposite his mother. Sirius sat down a minute later, scooting into the far corner as if still afraid if he got too close to Lily, he might lose a limb. An awkward silence hung in the air for half a minute before Ginny let out an exasperated sigh. "You're all impossible!" When still no one said anything, she rolled her eyes and then stuck out her hand. "Hi Mrs. Potter. I'm Ginny Wea… err Potter. I'm Harry's girlfri… wif… or I guess your daughter-in-law." She smiled sheepishly.

"It's nice to meet you Ginny. You can call me Lily though. This is all so strange though… it feels like a dream."

"Thanks Lily." Ginny smiled brightly. "I know what you mean! Nothings ever normal when your with Harry." Lily's eyes again turned to her son. Ginny poked him in the ribs.

"Ow! Err… hi… mum." He wasn't sure what to say next.

Lily kneeled down in front of him so they were eye level. "Harry…. You- you've grown so much. You look so much like James." Her eyes were shining now. "So much has changed… I… I'm sorry, "choking back sob she continued, "I'm so sorry I haven't been here for you. You probably hate me for leaving you all alone so I'll understand if-"

"Mum," Harry interrupted putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok, I-"

Before he knew what was happening he was engulfed in a hug. The first hug from his mother. He felt that warm and safe feeling wash over him again. Unlike the many hugs he'd received from Mrs. Weasley he found himself returning it without hesitation. This just felt right. Pulling back she kissed him on the forehead and froze. Noticing that she was staring at something behind him he whipped around pulling his wand to face the sight of Albus Dumbledore rummaging through the kitchen cupboards in a conjured bathrobe.

Harry really couldn't help but be impressed with his skill. He had conjured a bathrobe wandlessly! Conjuring anything let alone an article of clothing was supposed to be incredibly difficult. The fact that he had done it without a wand just goes to prove that he wasn't called the most powerful wizard of their time for no reason.

"Albus?" His mother's mouth was hanging open. The old man turned around.

"Oh Lily! How delightful to see you. I must offer you a warm welcome back to the world of the living. It's such a wondrous feat of magic that your son has performed."

Shaking her head she sat back down in her chair. "So is someone going to tell me why Sirius was sent to Azkaban now?"

"Well it's probably best for you to tell it yourself Sirius."

"Ok fine but I'm holding you responsible pup for any damage done to my babe-catching body." Harry groaned at his godfathers antis.

"Just get on with it Sirius."

"Ok ok. Well the night that it… happened, I was going to check on Peter in his safe house like I always did every few days to make sure he was ok. When I got there though, I found it empty. I'd made him promise not to leave unless the house was being attacked, yet inside I could find no signs of struggle. I was certain then and there that he'd betrayed us. I hurried off to warn you and James… b-but I was too late." Sirius' eyes were beginning to tear up. "The house was a wreck. I could see the front door was missing and it looked like the whole second floor had been blown out. I hurried inside to try and see what happened and that's when I came across James… at the bottom of the stairs. I don't how long I was standing there but all I could think about how my best friend was gone… my brother was gone… and that he wouldn't be there to see Harry grow up. It was at that point I thought I hears something upstairs. It almost sounded like someone apparated, but now I'm sure it was just the roof creaking and snapping from the damage. So continued on my way up. I could tell this is where most of the damage was… two of the walls were just gone. Next, I saw you Lily. You were just laying there in front of the crib. Even in death, or whatever it was, I could see that final look of determination on your face. Behind you was Harry. He was alive! I was so happy in that moment until I realized what he was doing. He was standing up in his crib, arm reaching through the bars trying to touch you. I almost lost it at that point but I finally noticed Harry wasn't as unhurt as I thought, he had that big cut on his forehead. I grabbed him after that, and headed out into the front garden."

Lily was squeezing his shoulder, an understanding expression on her face. "That's… good then. You got Harry out… that's the main point."

Sirius darkened momentarily. "And that's when I made the worst mistake of my life. Just before I was about to leave with him, Hagrid showed up."

"Hagrid? What was he doing there? He wasn't supposed to visit that night."

"He told me that Dumbledore had sent him to collect Harry. That he was supposed to be brought to him for a checkup." Lily looked irritated but remained silent. "At first I told him no because I was his godfather but he kept insisting. Then I realized that someone had to look at that cut on Harry's head soon and thought Hogwarts would probably be the best place for him until everything got figured out. I gave him my motorcycle so he could travel faster and they left. I sat there at first just trying to come to terms with what happened but I couldn't stop thinking about how this was all Wormtails fault. It was his fault that my best friends were dead and their son, my godson, was an orphan. I snapped and decided I need to hunt him down."

"Oh Sirius, don't you know how foolish that was? You should have gone to the Aurors!"

"I know… trust me I know. The first place I looked was his old flat. You know the one he abandoned to go to the safe house we set up for him. I knew he still had a lot of his stuff there and there was a good chance he would show up to get some of it. It was when I was staking out the back alley besides his building that I started to realize it was all my fault. It was my idea to switch Secret Keepers to Peter. If we'd just stuck with the original plan, you both would have still been alive."

"It wasn't your fault!" Was what Sirius heard in stereo from both Harry and his mother. Lily continued on, "It's Peter's fault and Voldemort. Not yours!"

Sirius nodded tearfully, "Anyway, he showed up, just like I thought. I stepped out into the alley blocking his access to the building. It just so happened that a show had just gotten out up the street and lots of muggles were cutting through the ally to reach other street. As soon as Wormtail saw me I saw him looking all over for an escape. I thought I had him trapped but then he did something I didn't expect. He started shouting for the whole street to hear how I had betrayed you and James. How it was my fault they were both dead and he knew that I'd come to finish him off next. It was so bizarre. I couldn't believe he was saying that to me of all people, so I just started laughing. In one night my whole world had been turned upside down and I just couldn't take it. I was going to kill him for everything he'd done. I went to pull my wand but he already had his out. He cut off his own finger! That made me freeze. I didn't know what he was doing but it was that moment of hesitation that cost me. He cast a blasting curse behind him, blowing up the sewer main. They say it killed thirteen muggles instantly and several others got severer burns but as this was happening I watched as he turned into a rat and scurried down the whole he'd created. I blacked out after that, next time I woke up I was in a cell in Azkaban. They tell me I supposedly confessed to my crimes, of betraying you to Voldemort, killing Peter and all those muggles, meaning they could skip a trial."

"I'm assuming you got released soon then because you're here now? What about Harry? Did Remus take him? Or the Longbottoms?"

"No on all counts. It turns out Hagrid wasn't taking Harry to Hogwarts because that's not where Dumbledore was. Him and Minerva left him on Petunia's doorstep." Sirius winced waiting for the coming explosion.

"WHAT? THAT BASTARD! HE LEFT MY SON WITH MY SISTER AND HER FAT OAF OF A HUSBAND?" Her face was steadily hitting a deeper shade of red. "ALBUS PERCIVAL WULFIRC BRIAN DUMBLEDORE! GET YOUR BONEY OLD ARSE OUT HERE NOW!"

"NO! Mum wait! It's not his-"

"If you were about to say that it was not his fault than you've got a lot to learn!"

"Ah Lily! You called?" Dumbledore asked entering the room with a serene smile.

Harry cut her off before she could get started, "It wasn't his… it was a different Dumbledore… err not him."

"What are you talking about? There is only one Albus Dumbledore unless you're trying to tell me that Aberforth is somehow involved in this?"

"Fortunately Abe was not involved here. I believe at that time he would have still have been on probation for casting inappropriate charms on goats. I do have to catch up with him and see how my dear brother's been doing all these years."

"I think he is still the bartender at the Hog's Head. I saw him when I was rooting through the trash cans looking for food last year in Hogsmeade." Sirius added.

"Wait wait! What the hell are you all on about?"

"Well mum…. We… err… found out recently that Grindelwald has been impersonating Albus since the year I was born. We rescued Albus here from Nurmengard last week." Lily's mouth was hanging open, watching them all as if waiting for the punch line of their joke.

"B-but Grindelwald's dead!" She stuttered and then pointing at Albus, "You killed him!"

"Unfortunately not. It was my greatest shame that I did not have the strength to do what had to be done all those years ago. Now we have to Dark Lords to contend with."

"You-know-who is still around? Even after fourteen years?"

"He's definitely back now." Sirius commented, rubbing his chest where Voldemort's curse had hit him. It, having enough power to send Sirius flying through the air, had left some bruising, that luckily Dumbledore had been able to instruct them how to heal.

"Back?"

"Remember earlier when I mentioned earlier how Harry survived the killing curse? Well whatever magic you evoked that night when you sacrificed yourself for him, it worked. When Voldemort tried to kill Harry, his curse rebounded hitting himself. Harry became famous that night. They even call him-"

"Sirius don't!" Harry whined.

"I know you don't like it but she's going to hear it eventually! They go around calling him the Boy-Who-Lived." He explained and then causing Harry to blush added. "I heard rumours he even has his own fan club."

"Colin Creevey started that in my first year!" Ginny piped up. Harry just raised his eyebrow questioningly causing her to huff. "I was never a part of it! My brothers just loved to torment me and were always telling you that I was. I even told Colin that he better stop taking pictures of you without asking at the beginning of second year!"

"Sorry Gin," Harry looked down ashamed. "I should have learned not to trust anything the twins say by now anyway. Thanks for talking to Colin. He's a good kid but the pictures were starting to get a little annoying."

"Kid?" She asked sounding offended. "He's in the same year as me? Am I a kid as well?"

"O-o-of course not Gin. That's not what I meant! I-it was just a figure of speech." He stumbled but then seeing the small smirk on her lips and hearing Sirius' chuckle he knew she was leading him on. "Shut it you old mutt! If I remember correctly a little while ago you were cowering under my mums glare alone."

Lily had a small smile on her face and seemed happy to be observing the interplay between them all but she sat forward again as they came to a natural lull in the conversation. "So he was hit by his own killing curse? Shouldn't he be dead than? You said he was back?"

"Yes… well… he didn't really die that night," Harry cut in. He knew he need to tell her about the Horcruxes, as it was something his Dad had specifically instructed him to do, but he knew it could wait another day, there was a lot more to cover first. "Everyone thought he did except for a select few but he was really reduced to some kind of wraith. He got his body back last June. The Ministry refused to believe he was back until the Minister walked in on our duel yesterday."

"And what, may I ask, were you doing dueling the most feared Dark Lord of modern history yesterday and how are you still alive?"

"See Lily! I told you that he survived the killing curse more than once!"

"Oh merlin! You were hit with the killing curse again yesterday?" She hurried over and was suddenly checking Harry over to make sure he was alright causing him to redden in embarrassment.

"I'm fun mum."

"I think I'll be the judge of that. So again, I'll ask what caused you to do something so foolish?"

"You know about the prophecy right? Grindelwald told you before you went into hiding?"

Lily paused for moment, obviously still wrapping her head around the whole Grindelwald thing. "Yes he did tell us," she allowed. "But you're still only fifteen! You shouldn't have to deal with this yet."

"It's not like I had a choice!" Harry snapped feeling pressured. Almost immediately he started to feel guilty so he softened his voice. "Sorry. It's just I should probably tell you from the beginning. So you understand."

"Ok, go ahead."

Immediately he decided to skip over his life pre-Hogwarts, "Well, first Hagrid came and delivered my Hogwarts letter. He actually broke down the door, it pretty funny."

"Wait wait wait! What? Why was Hagrid delivering your letter? It should have arrived by owl and then since, I guess, you were technically muggle-raised," she had a distasteful look on her face as she said it, "Professor McGonagall should have taken you and my sister to Diagon Alley."

"Uncle Vernon was, sort of… well, burning my letters. They just kept on sending more and more and-"

"Those fools! What did my sister think was going to happen? That they would be able to stop you from going? You're a wizard! All you would have had to do was owl someone and to tell them what was happening and they would have helped you get there."

"I didn't really know how to owl anyone though… I didn't even know I was a wizard until Hagrid told me."

"See! This is why I would never have wanted you to go to Petunia. I doesn't shock me they'd pull something like this! What about us? Did they just tell you we were murdured by some random guy? Lovely thing to say to a child!" She ranted.

"Aunt Petunia told me the first time I asked that you died in a car crash and then forbade me to ask any more questions."

Lily actually looked slightly relieved at this. "That's not too bad. Probably less traumatizing than any other alternatives, not that I'm saying they should have lied!"

"But Uncle Vernon, used to always go on and on, telling me that you were both no good, unemployed drunks. His sister, Aunt Marge, "he said this part with disgust, "used to always rub that in my face. I never used to know what to say when I was younger, but after learning the truth, it became harder to listen to." Chuckling he continued, "Two years ago I accidently blew up Aunt Marge when she wouldn't shut up about you two." Seeing her horrified look he quickly added, "Blew up like a balloon, not as in an explosion! She was floating all over the ceiling and everything!" Sirius snorted in the corner at this.

"I'll be the first to admit that my sister could be a vindictive bitch but Vernon always brought out the worst in her," she said sadly shaking her head.

"Anyway, like I said, Hagrid delivered my Hogwarts letter. He took me to Diagon Alley afterwards to pick up my stuff and then dropped me back off at the Dursleys. Luckily they agreed to drive me to Kings Cross in time for the train. On the Hogwarts Express I met my best mate! Ron, Ginny's brother." Harry smiled as he thought about that fateful meeting, but he slowly slipped into a frown as he thought about the last time he'd seen him, two weeks ago. Marrying his sister than portkeying away. Shaking himself out of these thoughts for now he continued on, "I got sorted into Gryffindor!" He was happy to see his Mothers obvious pride at this. "It was a good year except for the fact that Grindelwald was hiding the philosophers stone in the school."

Lily gasped, "How did he get that and why was it at Hogwarts?"

"Well we don't know what he said or did to get Nicholas Flamel to give it to him, but the reason he said it was at the school was to keep it safe. We know now it was to draw Voldemort's attention and bring him into conflict with me. He possessed our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor to try and steal it. He even tried to kill me at a Quidditch game and Snape of all people saved me!"

Harry noticed a strange expression cross his mother's face. "Severus is at Hogwarts?"

"Yes. He's the potions profess- Wait! You know Snape? I guess he would have been in your year but you just called him Severus," Harry asked with narrowed eyes.

"Yes," she answered simply. "Severus was my best friend for years until we had a… falling out in our fifth year." She narrowed her eyes in return. "I hope you're not picking up on your father's bad habits. Those two were always at each other for no reason."

"I had no problem with Snape until he made my life a living hell for the past four and a half years!"

Lily expression of mild rapprochement disappeared instantly. "What has he done?"

"On my first potions class he made sure to single me out while calling roll to show me that my being a 'celebrity' wouldn't help me in his class by asking three, what I found out later to be, upper year questions." Harry emphasised the word celebrity with air quotes, "Then when I didn't know them docked me points. He's always liked to point out through the years how I'm an arrogant, spoiled, attention seeker just like my father. I still can't believe he called me spoiled! I'd like to see him say that after meeting Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon in person or after having been locked in the cupboard for several days at a time for causing something 'freakish' to happen!" Harry snarled the last bit. He got so lost in his memories of his unfair treatment at both his relatives and Snape's hands, that he didn't notice the other occupants of room pale considerably.

"What did you just say Harry?" His mum asked in a half whisper, staring him in the eye intently.

"Which bit? About Snape?" Harry asked confused.

"A-a-about the cupboard?" Harry froze, finally realizing he must have let something slip.

"Nothing." He answered quickly. Too quickly. He had promised himself never to tell anyone about that. It was too embarrassing and it had been years ago anyway.

"Harry," Sirius began calmly, "What the bloody hell did those bastards do to you? You said they locked you in a cupboard? How often did they do that."

"A few times."

"Why didn't they just send you to your room like any other normal family?" Harry mumbled something unintelligible in response. "What?"

Harry sighed. "I said because that was my bedroom."

Silence reigned once again before Sirius jumped to his feet. He began pacing back and forth muttering and interjecting the odd curse."

Looking besides him he noticed Ginny's eyes shining with tears. When she saw him looking she wiped them and gave him a watery smile. Looking over at his mother is what made him pause. She hadn't moved at all. She was sitting ramrod straight staring over his shoulder.

Bending over slightly he tried to think of something to say. "Mum. I… I'm sorry that I-"

"Never. Ever. Ever. Apologize to me for this." She had his hand in a firm grip now and her green eyes, locked on his, were blazing. "This is not your fault. This is on my sister. All of it. I should be the one apologizing to you. You should not have had to grow up like this."

"No! Mum it's not your fault either! You were… dead."

"Exactly! I left you alone! I wasn't there t-t-to protect you…" She broke down and pulled him in to another hug rivalling the one he'd received earlier. He wasn't sure what to do so he just rubbed her back as she sobbed while trying to keep his own tears in check. He'd learned not to at an early age. Lesson number two from the Dursleys, right alongside lesson one: don't ask questions.

"I'm going to bloody kill them!" Sirius finally interrupted them. Harry had almost forgotten he was there.

"Sirius no!"  
"Why the hell not! You just said that they made you sleep in a cupboard for ten years. Their monsters!"

"I know they are, but they're still family! Plus you're innocent of killing Pettigrew and those muggles. One day you'll be cleared and I don't need you getting charged with something else." Sirius hesitated for a moment before plopping back down on the couch, still sporting a scowl.

"Anyway, we should get back to the story. So Snape saved my life… yay! Still a cranky bastard though. Moving along… not much else happened. Ron, Hermione, my other best friend, and I discovered that the philosopher's stone was being hidden in the castle. At the time we were convinced Snape was after it to give it to Voldemort. So of course, on the night where Grindelwald, who we still thought was Dumbledore, was mysteriously called away from Hogwarts, we knew something was going to happen. We went and told Professor McGonagall but she brushed us off so we decide to go after it ourselves."

"Three first years were going to get through the enchantments designed to protect a invaluable magical artifact from Voldemort?" Lily arched her eyebrow.

"I know. I know. It sounds crazy now but the fact that we were able to get through them at all leads us to believe that it was a part of Grindelwald's plans all along. As we got through the protections, eventually Ron and Hermione got stuck behind, leaving me to enter the last chamber alone. To my surprise it wasn't Snape but Professor Quirrell."

"The Defense Professor?"

"Yes. He used to wear this big purple turban all the time. A lot of kids used to joke that he stuffed it with garlic to ward of vampires. Anyway, he ended up taking it off and I was greeted to the beautiful view of Voldemort sticking out of his head." Lily wrinkled his nose in disgust. "I know it was pretty gross. He talked to me for a while, trying to get me to join him. He said he could bring you and Dad back to life, not that I believed him. When all that failed he started to get impatient. You see, Grindelwald had placed the stone inside the Mirror of Erised and he couldn't figure out how to get it out."

"The Mirror of Erised! You saw it?" At his nod, she continued, "That amazing! It's such a famous artifact! I wonder how Grindelwald got his hands on it as well."

"Ya well, I ran into it in an unused classroom over Christmas break. I kept coming back to look at it every night until Grindelwald finally moved it. I bet he only put it there to attract my attention than discover what I saw in it."

"What did you see?" Asked Lily tentatively as if unsure if this was something she could ask her son.

"You and dad with me." He answered shyly ducking his head, missing his mother's sad smile.

"Anyway, Grindelwald enchanted the mirror so that anyone who wanted the stone to use it, would only see their desire in the mirror like normal, but anyone who wanted the stone and yet had no intentions of using it, would see their reflection become a reality. This is what happened to me with the stone being slipped into my pocket. Quirrell tried to take it from me, but when he touched me he turned to ash. It was because of the protection you gave me, Voldemort and in this instance, Qurrell, couldn't touch me. I passed out after that and once I woke, Grindelwald told me that Voldemort had fled and that he had destroyed the stone."

"You're kidding me! He destroyed the stone? Are you sure he didn't keep it for himself?" Sirius asked.

"Err… actually I don't know. Add it to the list of things to investigate. It's not a huge priority though, it will stop him from aging, but doesn't make him unbeatable. I guess I can move onto the craziness that was second year." He felt Ginny tense beside him so he turned towards her while mentally berating himself for being so thoughtless. "Are you ok? Is it ok if I tell them about that year?"

She looked troubled for a moment before squaring her shoulders and sitting up straight, "Let me. I know what happened through the year better. You can tell the end."

"Ok… if you're sure?" At her firm nod he let out a breath and attempted to relax into the couch.

"This was my first year at Hogwarts, the last one in my family to go. Lucius Malfoy slipped a… cursed… diary into my cauldron. I was foolish and wrote in it all year and it slowly began to possess me, making me open the chamber of secrets. Muggleborns were being attacked left right and centre. It was only through sheer luck that they were all petrified instead of killed. I was having blackouts and couldn't remember anything that was happening while I was possessed yet I eventually began to figure it out. I tried to get rid of the diary, I flushed it down the toilet but it wasn't done yet. It made its way back and… and… Harry found it. I saw him with it and I panicked. I didn't want him to be possessed like I was or even worse for him to find out what I had been forced to do, even if I couldn't remember it at that time, so I broke into his dorm and stole it back. Eventually it possessed me again and made me write a message on the wall, saying that I had been kidnapped and taken to the chamber. I was forced to lock myself down there." Her grip and Harry's hand had tightened considerably as she relayed the story.

"That's when Ron and I found the message and discovered it was Ginny who was taken. We had also just figured out, with some help from Hermione, that the monster in the chamber was a Basilisk. We knew we had to sa-"

"Harry James Potter! Don't tell me you went off to fight a Basilisk in your second year without getting a teacher!"

"No no no! We got a teacher! We got Professor Lockhart. We caught him trying to run a way but we forced him to come with us. He actually tried to obliviate us once but it rebounded on him and he completely forgot who he was! Ron got trapped behind a rockfall so I continued on. When I got to the chamber I found Ginny and learned how she was being possessed by the shade of a sixteen year old Voldemort. He was absorbing her life force trying to bring himself back to life. He set the Basilisk on me but Fawkes showed up and gouged out his eyes. He'd also dropped off the sorting hat. I wasn't sure what to do so I put it on and the Sword of Godric Gryffindor fell out. I actually had a big bump on my head for a while after that."

"Wait! Harry, are you telling me that when you were twelve, you located the Slytherin's LOST Chamber of Secret's and then less than an hour later you accidentally summed Gryffindor's LOST sword?"

"Err… yes?" She just shook her head in exasperation. "Then I stabbed the basilisk through the roof of my mouth and it died… but I got bitten though…"

"YOU GOT BITTEN?"

"Well ya, but Fawkes cried in the wound and I survived," he said with a shrug. "Then I stabbed the diary as well, destroying Voldemort's shade, and Ginny woke up."

"My hero." Ginny batted her eyes overdramatically up at Harry, obviously trying to lighten the mood, but he could tell she was still somewhat uncomfortable with this topic.

"Is there any year where you weren't in mortal danger?" At his guilty expression she huffed. "Well fine. Just get on with it. I'm not sure how much more I can listen to this."

Harry remained silent obviously trying to think of a way to tone down the dangers of his life so Sirius interrupted. "I guess I can tell you rest. Well, I broke out of Azkaban and eventually hid out in the Forbidden Forest. I know Harry learned the Patronus Charm from Remus." Lily turned and looked at her son impressed causing him to blush once again. "He saved my life from over a hundred Dementors with it!"

"You've already met De… you know what, I don't want to know. Continue Sirius."

"Then him and his friend Hermione saved me from getting the kiss by breaking me out. I was on the run all summer after that but decided to head back to Britain in the fall when Harry's name got entered into the Tri-Wizard Tournament by a Death Eater." Lily didn't interrupt but Harry saw her eye twitch and her start rubbing her forehead as if she were getting a headache. "He had to face a-" Harry shot him a glare. He wasn't sure his mother could make it through hearing about all the tasks.

"During the third task, the Tri-Wizard cup had been turned into a portkey so when I reached it with my fellow Champion Cedric, it whipped us away. I took us to a graveyard in Little Hangleton. Wormtail was already there. He killed Cedric and disarmed me. They used my blood in a ritual to resurrect Voldemort. He forced me to duel him. I had no chance. The only reason I didn't die right there is because he was toying with me. I know he was trying to make an example of me in front of his Death Eaters. It was only from pure luck that I was able to summon the cup to me and take the Portkey back to Hogwarts." Harry hung his head, he really hated thinking about that night. Suddenly he was enveloped once again in his mother's arms. If there was one thing Harry had learned that day, it was he would never get enough of his mother's hugs.

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 _ **A/N:**_ _There we go. A really long chapter of you guys. Hope you enjoy. I'll try to update a couple times in the next week and a bit. Please leave me a review and let me know what you think._


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